THE  STORY 
OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 


By 
EVERETT  T.  TOMLINSON 

The  Pursuit  of  the 
Apache  Chief 

Places  Young  Americans 
Want  to  Know 

Fighters  Young  Americans 
Want  to  Know 

The  Story  of 
General  Pershing 

The  Trail  of  the 
Mohawk  Chief 

These  Are  Appleton  Books 

D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY 
Publishers  New  York 


T2J4 


General  Pershing. 


THE  STORY  OF 
GENERAL   PERSHING 


BY 

EVERETT  T.  TOMLINSON 

AUTHOR  Or  "FKJCTKES  YOUNG  AMERICANS  WANT  TO  KNOW,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 

1920 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

in  the  New  York  Times  and  New  York  Sun, 
the  writer  has  obtained  valuable  information. 
The  direct  aid  of  United  States  Senator  Fre- 
linghuysen  in  obtaining  data  from  the  War 
Department  and  the  suggestion  of  United 
States  Senator  Warren  have  been  most  help 
ful.  Replies  to  questions  sent  to  friends  and 
relatives  of  the  General  have  assisted  in  veri 
fying  certain  facts  and  figures.  Many  who  per 
sonally  knew  the  great  commander  in  his 
younger  days  have  very  kindly  given  the  writer 
such  help  as  lay  within  their  power.  He  gladly 
recognizes  his  indebtedness,  especially  to  the 
following  persons:  Mr.  Charles  Spurgeon, 
Brookfield,  Mo.;  Judge  0.  F.  Libby,  Bigger, 
Mo.;  H.  C.  Lomax,  Esq.,  Laclede,  Mo.;  S.  E. 
Carothers,  Waco,  Tex.;  Mr.  Robert  S.  Huse, 
Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  whose  father  was  the  "  splen 
did  old  Caleb "  of  the  Highland  Military 
Academy;  Hon.  E.  W.  Stephens,  Columbia,  Mo.; 
Mrs.  Louisa  D.  Warren,  Meadville,  Mo.,  and  Mr. 
Wesley  L.  Love,  Brookfield,  Mo.  Major  James 
E.  Runcie,  Librarian  of  the  United  States  Mili 
tary  Academy,  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  and  General 

vi 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

P.  C.  Harris,  acting  the  Adjutant  General,  have 
both  been  exceedingly  kind  in  providing  and 
verifying  certain  items  of  information  which 
otherwise  it  would  have  been  difficult  if  not 
impossible  to  obtain.  The  writer  wishes  to 
thank  all  these  good  people  who  have  helped 
to  make  even  the  gathering  of  data  an  inspira 
tion.  Articles  appearing  in  many  current  mag 
azines  and  newspapers  have  provided  interest 
ing  items,  but  the  writer  has  quoted  from  them 
only  after  verification  of  certain  details. 


vii 


PREFACE 

find  in  the  record  the  inspiration  and  interest 
which  the  writer  has  found.  Sometimes  fight 
ing  against  obstacles  that  appeared  almost  in 
surmountable,  struggling  to  obtain  an  educa 
tion  in  the  schools,  not  faltering  when  tragic 
sorrows  came,  his  determination  succeeding 
in  military  campaigns  where  previous  centuries 
of  fighting  had  failed — the  career  of  General 
Pershing  has  been  a  continuous  overcoming. 
Confidence  in  a  great  leader  is  an  essential  con 
dition  of  victory  and  the  writer  has  tried  to 
present  facts  to  show  that  the  trust  of  the 
American  people  in  their  military  leader  is  well 
founded. 

Some  years  ago  a  certain  tight-fisted  denizen 
of  the  United  States  inquired  sneeringly  of  a 
young  man  from  his  village,  who  was  working 
his  way  through  college,  "What  do  you  expect 
to  make  of  yourself  anyway?"  Instantly  came 
the  reply, ' '  A  man. ' '  Cause  and  effect,  aim  and 
incentive,  object  and  motive  alike  are  all 
summed  up  in  that  response.  Behind  the  Gen 
eral  is  the  man  whose  story  the  writer  has  tried 
to  tell  just  as  he  has  found  it 

x 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  *AG1B 

I  A  HISTORIC  MOMENT 

II  BIRTH  AND  EARLY  HOME 7 

III  BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 22 

IV  FIGHTING  THE  APACHES  AND  THE  Sioux.  44 
V  A  MILITARY  INSTRUCTOR 56 

VI  IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 65 

VII  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 86 

VIII  SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 96 

IX  IN  PURSUIT  OF  VILLA 118 

X  CALLED  TO  COMMAND  THE  AMERICAN  EX 
PEDITIONARY  FORCES  IN  FRANCE 131 

XI  WHY    AMERICA    WENT    TO    WAR    WITH 

GERMANY   149 

XII  IN  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE 161 

XIII  AT  THE  TOMB  OF  NAPOLEON 171 

XIV  A  WREATH  FOR  THE  TOMB  OF  LAFAYETTE.  181 
XV  FOURTH  OF  JULY  IN  FRANCE  AND  BAS- 

TILE  DAY  IN  AMERICA 193 

XVI  INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 203 

XVII  WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OP  HIM 225 

XVIII  As  A  WRITER  AND  SPEAKER 238 

XIX  THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENERAL 242 

XX  His  MILITARY  RECORD 257 

xi 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGH 

GENERAL,  PERSHING Frontispiece 

THE  HOME  OF  THE  PERSHINGS,  LACLEDE,  MISSOURI  10 

GENERAL  PERSHING  AS  A  BOY 22 

THE  CHURCH  THE  PERSHINGS  ATTENDED  AT  LA 
CLEDE  28 

THE  PRAIRIE  MOUND  SCHOOL 28 

THE  HIGHLAND  MILITARY  ACADEMY 34 

UNITED  STATES  MILITARY  ACADEMY,  WEST  POINT, 

N.  Y 34 

COL.  HUSE,  "SPLENDID  OLD  CALEB" 40 

KIRKSVILLE,  Mo.,  STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL 40 

THE  LIEUTENANT  IN  THE  FAMILY 46 

GENERAL  FOCH  AND  GENERAL  PERSHING 254 


XLU 


UtMlV.   OF 


THE 

STORY  OF  GENERAL  PEKSHING 

CHAPTEE  I 
A  HISTORIC  MOMENT 

THE  morning  of  June  13, 1917,  was  one  of  the 
historic  mornings  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
On  the  landing  dock  at  Boulogne,  France,  a  de 
tachment  of  French  infantry  was  drawn  up  in 
line.  The  men  were  clad  in  the  uniform  of 
battle.  Their  faces  confirmed  the  report  that 
recently  they  had  seen  hard  service  in  the 
trenches — as  they  had.  Not  a  young  soldier 
was  in  the  lines — they  were  all  middle-aged 
men,  perhaps  made  older  by  the  fearful  expe 
riences  through  which  they  recently  had  passed. 

1 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 


mgrjiing,  however,  there  was  an  air  of 

1  eagerness  'ahd-expectancy  in  the  expressions  on 
»     *•*"*"•    %  *    ,  .* 
•  /:  tiei£  'faces.;  ar*et  the  eyes  of  all,  with  an  intent- 

ness  that  was  at  once  pathetic  and  tragic,  were 
watching  a  boat  that  was  drawing  near  the 
landing  stage. 

In  the  assembly  on  the  dock  an  observer 
would  have  seen  certain  of  the  great  men  of 
France.  There  were  Brigadier  General  Pelle- 
tier;  Eene  Bernard,  Under  Secretary  of  State 
for  War  ;  General  Dumas  ;  General  Dupon,  rep 
resenting  General  Petain;  and  the  military  gov 
ernor  of  Boulogne.  Eepresentatives  of  othei 
nations  and  forces  also  were  in  the  midst  of 
the  eager  throng.  There,  too,  were  Sir  George 
Fowke,  representing  General  Sir  Douglas 
Haig;  and  Captain  Boyd,  Military  Attache  of 
the  American  War  Department.  Men,  resplen 
dent  in  their  uniforms  and  decorations,  who 
represented  the  British  and  French  navies,  also 
were  in  the  assembly,  all  as  deeply  interested 
as  were  their  military  comrades.  The  nearby 
streets  were  filled  with  people  waiting  and  sub 
dued,  and  yet  in  a  state  of  mind  that  at  any 

2 


A  HISTORIC  MOMENT 

moment  would  have  carried  the  great  assembly 
into  the  wildest  enthusiasm.  .  '•  . 

The  cause  of  the  excitement-  was  to  be* 
found  in  a  little  group  of  men  assembled  on 
the  deck  of  a  steamer  that  was  slowly  ap 
proaching  the  dock.  In  the  center  of  the  group 
stood  a  man  in  the  uniform  of  the  United  States 
Army.  He  was  six  feet  in  height,  broad  shoul 
dered,  trim-waisted,  muscular  and  wiry.  His 
hair  was  gray  and  his  closely  cropped  mustache 
was  also  tinged  with  gray.  His  dark  eyes  were 
glowing,  though  every  nerve  and  muscle  was 
under  the  control  of  his  will — a  will  that  was 
as  strong  as  his  prominent  chin  and  nose  indi 
cated.  It  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
the  world  that  an  American  soldier  was  landing 
in  Europe,  there  to  fight  for  his  own  country 
and  for  the  liberty  of  the  world.  There  is  slight 
cause  for  wonder  that  a  murmur  ran  from  one 
to  another  in  the  expectant  crowd:  " Truly 
here  comes  a  man!"  And  the  man  was  to  be 
followed  by  millions,  clad  in  the  uniform  of  the 
land  from  which  he  came. 

We  may  be  sure  that  when  this  soldier,  Gen- 
3 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

eral  John  Joseph  Pershing,  stepped  ashore  and 
General  Dumas  greeted  the  American  in  the 
words,  "I  salute  the  United  States  of  America, 
which  has  now  become  united  to  the  United 
States  of  Europe,"  there  was  a  cause  for  the 
deep  emotion  that  manifested  itself  in  Per 
shing  's  dark  eyes.  It  was,  as  he  said,  "a  his 
toric  moment. "  As  he  greeted  the  French 
colors,  the  detachment  of  brave  men  that  had 
recently  come  from  the  firing  line  stood  immov 
able  like  men  of  steel,  and  the  American  gen 
eral  slowly  passed  down  the  line,  his  face  alone 
still  betraying  his  feeling  over  the  deep  so 
lemnity  of  the  moment.  And  what  a  moment 
it  was!  Their  dead  had  not  died  in  vain,  their 
heroic  struggle  against  barbarism,  all  the  sor 
rows  and  losses  the  devoted  French  people  had 
borne  were  now  focused  on  the  coming  of  an 
American  general  and  his  staff.  For  behind 
him  was  America,  and  she  was  coming  too. 

And  this  American  general,  with  his  staff  of 
fifty-three  officers  and  one  hundred  and  forty- 
six  men,  including  privates  and  civilian  at 
taches,  stood  before  the  beholders  as  the  fore- 

4 


A  HISTORIC  MOMENT 

runners  of  a  mighty  host  which  was  deter 
mined  to  help  clear  the  world  of  the  German 
menace  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happi 
ness.  General  Pershing,  the  fifth  full  gen 
eral  of  the  United  States,  is  the  successor  to 
Washington,  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan. 
So  modest  has  been  his  career,  so  great  his  re 
luctance  to  appear  in  print,  that  many,  even 
in  his  own  nation,  are  not  familiar  with  the 
deeds  he  has  done.  He  has  not  sought  pro 
motion,  but  promotion  sought  him.  Appar 
ently,  at  times,  in  far  away  provinces,  he  has 
been  banished  to  obscurity.  Seven  years  passed 
before  he  was  raised  from  the  rank  of  a  second 
lieutenant  to  a  first  lieutenancy,  and  yet  the 
year  1917  found  him  in  command  of  the  Amer. 
ican  Expeditionary  Forces  in  France,  the  first 
leader  of  American  troops  to  land  with  drawn 
swords  on  the  soil  of  Europe.  The  record  is 
marvelous  and  it  is  also  inspiring.  What  man 
ner  of  man  is  this  commander?  What  is  the 
story  of  his  life?  Who  were  his  father  and 
mother!  Where  did  he  come  from!  How  did 
he  develop  the  powers  that  led  one  American 

5 


THE  STORY  OP  GENERAL  PERSHING 

President  to  advance  him  eight  hundred  and 
sixty-two  points  at  one  time  and  caused  another 
President  to  select  him  as  the  one  man  to  com 
mand  the  soldiers  of  the  United  States  in 
France?  What  are  his  qualifications — mental, 
moral  and  physical? 

This  story  is  an  attempt  to  answer  these 
questions  in  such  a  manner  that  the  people  of 
his  own  land  may  be  able  to  understand  a  part 
at  least  of  the  career  of  the  man  behind  the 
general.  It  does  not  try  to  analyze  critically 
the  military  career  of  General  John  Joseph  Per- 
shing,  nor  does  it  primarily  portray  the  devel 
opment  of  the  soldier.  It  is  rather  a  modest 
recital  of  the  leading  events  in  the  life  of  Per- 
shing,  the  man,  who  became  Pershing,  the 
General. 


CHAPTER  II 
BIRTH  AND  EAELY  HOME 

FROM  this,  the  time  of  our  greatest  war,  we 
must  drop  back  approximately  half  a  century  to 
the  time  of  our  second  greatest  war.  It  is  note 
worthy  that  General  Pershing,  our  leader  in  the 
war  for  the  world's  freedom,  was  born  in  the 
early  days  in  the  war  for  the  negroes '  freedom. 

The  future  general  first  saw  the  light  Septem 
ber  13,  1860,  in  or  near  the  little  village  of  La- 
clede,  Missouri.  The  lad  was  ' l  from  Missouri ' ' 
and  the  current  semi-slang  expression  has  cer 
tainly  been  true  in  his  case.  One  had  to  "show 
him,"  for  he  made  up  his  mind,  mapped  out  his 
own  plans  and  conducted  his  own  studies  and 
investigations.  This  characteristic  has  re 
mained  with  him  to  this  day.  The  accepted  date 
of  his  birth  and  the  house  in  which  he  was  born 
are  still  matters  of  mild  dispute  among  the  good 

7 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

people  of  the  little  village  of  Laclede.  A  friend 
of  his  boyhood  days  says,  "He  was  born  in  a 
section  house  about  3,000  yards  from  the  site 
of  the  old  depot.  The  foundation  is  still  there. ' ' 
But  the  people  of  Laclede  and  Meadville,  a 
nearby  hamlet,  are  not  a  unit  in  this  detail, 
though  all  are  heartily  agreed  and  proud  in 
their  recollection  of  the  lad  who  since  has  made 
the  little  hamlet  famous. 

"Grandma"  Warren  (Mrs.  Louisa  DJ, 
through  her  daughter  sends  the  following  con 
tribution  to  this  mooted  question: 

"My  mother  states  that  in  the  spring  of  1859,  the 
General's  father  and  mother,  then  recently  married, 
came  to  board  with  her  father,  Meredith  Brown,  who 
resided  about  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Mead 
ville,  Mo.  My  mother,  then  a  widow,  was  living  at 
the  home  of  her  father  and  was  associated  with  the 
Pershings  that  summer. 

"In  the  fall  of  the  year  the  Pershings  moved  to 
SL  house  of  their  own  about  a  half  mile  west  of  the 
Brown  home  and  this  is  the  place  where  the  General 
was  born.  The  tract  of  land  on  which  the  house  stood 
is  now  owned  by  John  Templeman  and  is  the  north 
%  of  Sec.  5,  T'wp  57,  range  21,  Linn  Co.,  Mo.  The 
house  in  which  the  General  was  born  was  destroyed 

8 


BIRTH  AND  EARLY  HOME 

by  fire  during  the  Civil  War.  Mother  was  present 
at  the  General's  birth  and  dressed  him  in  his  first 
suit. 

"From  the  house  where  the  General  was  born  they 
moved  to  what  was  known  as  the  'Section  House/ — 
a  house  built  for  the  section  foreman  of  the  railroad. 
This  house  was  located  about  two  miles  west  of  Mead- 
ville  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  R.  R.,  now  the 
Burlington. 

"During  the  time  from  1859  and  a  few  years  later, 
the  senior  Pershing  was  section  foreman  on  this  road. 
At  the  last  mentioned  place  of  residence  the  second 
child  was  born. 

"After  a  few  years'  residence  at  the  section  house, 
the  family  moved  to  Laclede,  Mo.,  seven  miles  east  of 
Meadville.  At  this  place  the  father  engaged  in  mer 
cantile  business,  continuing  in  the  business  for  a  num 
ber  of  years.  My  mother  visited  at  the  Pershing  home 
at  this  place  frequently.  After  leaving  Laclede, 
mother  lost  communication  with  them. 

"The  citizens  of  Meadville  and  vicinity  have  in  the 
course  of  construction  at  the  present  time  a  large  sign 
to  be  erected  at  the  birthplace  of  the  General.  My 
mother  is  now  in  her  85th  year. 

"The  place  of  the  General's  birth  is  near  a  small 
stream  known  as  Hickory  Branch  and  the  community 
along  this  stream  is  known  as  the  Hickory  Branch 
Community.  In  closing,  I  wish  to  pay  my  respects  to 
the  General :  John  J.  Pershing,  the  baby,  belongs  to 

9 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Hickory  Branch.     John  J.  Pershing,  the  man,  be 
longs  to  the  world. 

"Yours  truly, 

"E.  S.  WARREN." 

It  is  not  strange  if  seven  cities  contended 
with  one  another  for  the  honor  of  being  the 
birthplace  of  Homer  that  two  small  villages  in 
Missouri  are  divided  in  their  claims  for  a  simi 
lar  honor  in  the  case  of  the  present  foremost 
American  soldier.  As  to  the  merits  of  the  con 
test  it  is  impossible  to  pronounce  judgment  at 
this  time.  The  General  himself  has  only  hear 
say  evidence  of  the  exact  locality  of  his  birth, 
though  there  is  no  question  as  to  its  having 
taken  place  in  Linn  County,  Missouri,  and  that 
his  boyhood  was  passed  in  the  village  of  La- 
clede. 

The  General's  father,  John  F.  Pershing,  a 
short  time  before  the  birth  of  his  oldest  child 
(the  general),  came  from  Westmoreland 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  went  to  work  as  a 
section  foreman  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe 
Eailroad.  He  was  a  forceful  man,  of  energy 
and  ambition,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he 

10 


BIRTH  AND  EARLY  HOME 

was  running  a  general  store  and  at  the  same 
time  was  postmaster  of  the  -village.  A  man 
now  living,  who  worked  for  the  General's 
father  in  both  the  general  store  and  post  office, 
has  this  tribute  to  pay  to  his  one  time  em 
ployer:  "He  was  a  very  active  business  man 
with  wonderful  energy,  strictly  honest,  never 
stooped  to  a  dishonest  trick;  a  pronounced  man 
in  the  community;  the  leading  business  man. 
He  liked  to  make  money.  He  lost  two  fortunes 
on  the  Board  of  Trade,  Chicago.  He  traveled 
several  years  out  of  St.  Joseph,  probably  one 
of  the  best  paid  men.  He  later  left  St.  Joe  for 
Chicago,  where  he  was  traveling  salesman  for 
another  firm.  He  made  many  business  ventures 
— was  something  of  what  to-day  is  called  a  pro 
moter. 

"He  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence. 
He  was  a  great  family  man,  loved  his  family 
devotedly.  He  was  not  lax  and  ruled  his  house 
hold  well." 

The  older  Pershing  was  insistent  that  his 
children  should  be  able  to  meet  the  difficulties 
in  life  that  must  be  overcome  before  success 

11 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

can  be  won.  The  value  of  regular  habits  of  ap 
preciation  of  the  things  worth  while,  was  his 
hobby  and  he  taught  by  example  as  well  as  by 
precept.  Hard  work  was  essential.  Therefore 
hard  work  must  be  undertaken  and  done,  and  he 
began  early  to  train  his  three  boys  and  three 
girls,  who  of  the  nine  that  were  born  to  him 
grew  to  maturity.  His  creed  included  the  pre 
cept  that  it  is  well  to  learn  to  bear  the  yoke  in 
one's  youth.  Every  Sunday  the  Pershing  fam 
ily  were  seen  on  their  way  to  the  little  Methodist 
church  of  which  the  father  and  mother  were 
members,  Mr.  Pershing  at  one  time  being  super 
intendent  of  the  Sunday  School.  He  is  reported 
also  to  have  been  a  local  preacher.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  his  church. 

A  neighbor  writes,  "When  the  Civil  War 
broke  out,  the  elder  Pershing  left  the  railroad 
and  became  the  regimental  sutler  of  the  old 
18th  Mo.  Reg.  Infantry.  Later  he  engaged 
in  merchandising  and  farming  with  success, 
but  was  caught  in  the  panic  of  1873.  About 
1876,  he  went  to  work  for  I.  Weil  &  Company 

12 


BIRTH  AND  EARLY  HOME 

of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  as  a  traveling  salesman, 
selling  clothing,  and  later  for  a  big  Chicago 
house.  The  family  lived  at  Laclede  until  about 
1886,  at  which  time  they  moved  to  Lincoln,  Ne 
braska,  where  two  of  the  daughters  now  reside. 
General  Pershing 's  father  and  mother  are  both 
dead. 

"The  Pershing  family  were  zealous  church 
people.  John  F.  Pershing  was  the  Sunday 
School  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Church 
all  the  years  he  lived  here,  I  think,  or  until  he 
commenced  to  work  for  I.  Weil  &  Co.  Every 
Sunday  you  could  see  him  making  his  way  to 
church  with  John  (the  general)  on  one  side  and 
Jim  on  the  other,  Mrs.  Pershing  and  the  little 
girls  following  along.  The  family  was  a  serious 
loss  to  the  Methodist  church  when  they  moved 
away  from  here." 

Throughout  his  life  there  was  an  air  of  seri 
ousness  under  which  the  future  general  was 
brought  up.  Doubtless  from  his  earliest  days 
the  impression  that  if  he  was  to  do  anything 
worth  while  he  must  first  be  something  worth 
while,  consciously  or  unconsciously  influenced 

13 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  life  of  the  son  of  the  father,  who  was  eager 
to  have  his  children  secure  the  best  education 
within  their  power  to  obtain  and  his  ability  to 
give.  At  all  events,  the  General's  life-plan 
seems  to  have  been  to  get  ready,  whether  or  not 
the  test  comes.  If  it  does  come,  one  is  prepared; 
if  it  does  not  come  one  is  prepared  just  the 
same.  Here  again  it  was  the  man  behind  the 
general,  shaped,  guided,  trained  and  inspired 
by  the  strong,  earnest  personality  of  his  father. 
From  a  member  of  the  Pershing  family  the 
following  statement  has  been  received:  "His 
(the  general's)  father  was  born  near  Pitts 
burgh,  Pa.,  his  ancestors  having  come  from 
Alsace-Lorraine.  He  was  prominent  in  church 
work  and  all  philanthropic  work.  He  estab 
lished  the  Methodist  Church  at  Laclede,  Mo., 
and  after  moving  to  Chicago  was  instrumental 
in  forming  the  Hyde  Park  Methodist  Church. 
He  was  also  active  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Chicago, 
and  organized  the  Hyde  Park  branch.  He  was 
in  the  Union  Army  and  was  the  first  man  to  ob 
serve  Memorial  Day  in  Laclede,  taking  his  own 
children  and  the  children  of  his  neighborhood, 

14 


BIRTH  AND  EARLY  HOME 

with  flowers  from  his  own  garden,  to  decorate 
the  graves  of  the  soldiers.  Mr.  Pershing  (John 
Fletcher  Pershing)  was  president  of  the  school 
board  at  Laclede  and  it  was  through  his  work 
that  the  graded  schools  were  organized  and 
new  buildings  erected.  He  was  also  postmaster 
in  Laclede." 

Of  his  mother — the  best  report  from  Laclede 
is  that  she  was  a  "splendid  home  maker. " 
Why  is  it  that  most  great  men  have  had  great 
mothers?  Frequently  we  are  disappointed  in 
the  sons  of  great  men.  Either  the  boys  do  not 
measure  up  to  their  sires,  or  we  are  prone  to 
expect  too  much  of  them,  or,  as  is  quite  likely, 
we  contrast  the  young  man  at  the  beginning  of 
his  career  with  the  reputation  of  his  father 
when  it  is  at  its  zenith. 

But  history  is  filled  with  examples  of  men 
who  have  attributed  all  they  have  done  or  won 
to  the  inspiring  love  and  devotion  of  the 
mothers  that  bore  them.  And  General  Pershing 
is  no  exception  to  this  rule.  One  time,  when, 
after  years  of  absence  he  came  back  to  Laclede 
as  a  brigadier  general  in  the  army  of  the 

15 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

United  States,  lie  went  to  call  upon  Aunt  Susan 
Hewett,  an  aged  widow  and  old  resident  of  the 
town.  In  his  boyhood,  Aunt  Susan  and  her 
husband,  " Captain "  Hewett,  had  "run  the 
hotel."  Aunt  Susan  in  her  prime  was  famous 
for  her  pies  and  her  love  of  boys,  and  Johnnie 
Pershing  was  a  favorite.  As  a  result  of  her 
affection  for  the  lad  he  was  a  frequent  and 
successful  sampler  of  her  wares.  The  picture 
of  Aunt  Susan  and  her  pies  and  the  sampling 
done  by  the  future  general  of  the  United  States 
Army  is  one  that  is  easily  imagined  and 
strongly  appeals  to  those  who  know  the  worth 
of  well  made  pies, — for  in  spite  of  local  pride, 
good  pies  are  not  all  limited  to  New  England. 

To  a  reporter  two  or  three  years  ago  Aunt 
Susan  said,*  "Law,  yes,  I  remember  John  when 
he  wasn't  more'n  two  or  three  years  old.  When 
John  was  big  enough  to  put  on  trousers  he  used 
to  eat  more  pies  in  our  kitchen  than  any  other 
boy  in  town. 

"He  was  back  here  about  ten  years  ago.    It 

^Missouri  Historical  Review. 
16 


BIRTH  AND  EARLY  HOME 

was  on  the  24th  day  of  October  that  Uncle 
Henry  Lomax  came  to  my  house  and  said,  'Aunt 
Susan,  there's  a  gentleman  outside  that  wants 
to  see  you.'  When  I  stepped  outside  and  saw 
a  tall  young  man,  Uncle  Henry  asked  me  if  I 
knew  who  it  was. 

"  'Yes,'  I  said,  'it's  John  Pershing.  I  can 
see  his  mother's  features  in  his  face.'  He  came 
to  me  with  his  arms  open  and  he  embraced  me 
and  kissed  me  and  we  both  cried.  'Aunt 
Susan,'  he  says,  and  I'll  never  forget  his  words 
as  long  as  I  live,  'it  does  my  heart  good  to  see 
my  mother's  dear  old  friends.  The  place  seems 
like  home  to  me  and  it  always  will.  I've  been 
away  a  long  time  and  there  have  been  many 
changes,  but  this  is  home.'  The  chrysanthe 
mums  were  in  bloom  and  after  we  had  talked 
a  while  in  the  parlor  I  went  out  and  picked  a 
bouquet  for  him  to  take  away. 

' '  '  They  are  going  to  have  some  kind  of  a  re 
ception  for  me  to-night  and  I  want  you  to  come, 
Aunt  Susan,'  he  says.  I  told  him  I'd  try  to  be 
there  but  that  I  was  tired  and  worn  out  because 
I  had  been  working  hard  in  the  garden.  'You 

17 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

won't  have  to  walk,  Aunt  Susan,  because  I'll 
come  after  you  myself. '  About  five  in  the  after 
noon  he  came  in  a  buggy.  We  went  to  his  re 
ception  together  and  my!  what  a  crowd.  The 
whole  house  was  packed  and  people  were  stand 
ing  in  the  yard.  Johnny  shook  hands  with 
everybody  and  talked  to  them  and  he  finally 
made  a  speech,  which  I  didn't  hear  because 
there  were  so  many  people  around.  John  Per- 
shing  always  did  have  talent." 

This  incident  of  his  later  years  is  eloquent 
of  the  earlier  years — and  of  Pershing's  mother. 
Behind  the  figure  of  the  living  is  another  who 
being  dead,  yet  speaketh.  "A  splendid  home 
maker. ' ' 

The  relatives  of  General  Pershing  disclaim 
all  knowledge  of  this  incident  and  are  inclined 
to  pronounce  it  "mostly  fiction."  The  incident 
is  taken  from  the  Missouri  Historical  Review. 
In  other  forms  also  the  story  has  become  cur 
rent.  A  former  friend  of  the  family,  now  a  resi 
dent  of  Laclede,  also  questions  the  reliability  of 
the  tale,  basing  his  conclusion  upon  the  fact 
that  the  local  village  taverns  were  not  places 

18 


BIRTH  AND  EARLY  HOME 

which  such  a  man  as  General  Pershing's  father 
would  knowingly  permit  his  boys  to  frequent. 

Nor  is  Aunt  Susan's  fact  (or  fiction)  the  only 
tribute.  Before  me  is  a  letter  from  a  long  time 
friend  and  neighbor  of  the  family  which  states : 
"Mrs.  Pershing  stood  high  among  her  neigh 
bors.  She  was  a  woman  of  unusual  intelligence 
and  much  better  educated  than  the  average 
woman  of  those  days.  She  was  an  unusually 
cultivated  woman.  Mr.  Pershing  probably  had 
the  best  library  in  the  town.  His  father  and 
mother  were  both  religious  and  John  went  to 
Sunday  School  and  church  every  Sunday. ' '  The 
deep  affection  is  apparent  as  one  reads  between 
the  lines  of  many  letters  received  from  those 
who  years  ago  knew  her  both  personally  and 
well.  It  is  not  difficult  to  trace  the  source  of 
the  inspiration  of  Pershing 's  life. 

An  intimate  friend  of  the  General  in  response 
to  a  personal  request  has  courteously  given  the 
following  modest  statement:  "General  Per 
shing  's  mother  was  Ann  Elizabeth  Thompson. 
She  was  born  near  Nashville,  Tenn.  Although 
she  came  of  a  southern  family  she  joined  her 

19 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING- 

husband  in  her  sympathy  for  the  cause  of  the 
North,  and  made  the  first  flag  that  was  raised 
in  Linn  County,  thereby  risking  the  lives  of  her 
family.  One  of  her  brothers  was  in  the  South 
ern  army,  and  one  served  on  the  Northern  side. 
When  her  brother,  Colonel  L.  A.  Thompson, 
was  wounded,  her  husband  secured  permission 
to  cross  the  line  and  brought  him  home.  Mrs. 
Pershing  was  always  an  inspiration  for  her 
children  and  her  ambition  for  them,  especially 
in  an  educational  way,  was  without  bounds. " 

And  there  came  a  time  when  General  Per 
shing  doubtless  realized  as  never  before  all  that 
his  mother  had  been  to  him.  His  troops  were 
mounted  and  he  was  about  to  give  the  command 
for  the  departure  of  his  men  on  an  expedition 
against  the  Moros.  At  that  moment  an  orderly 
advanced  and  gave  him  a  message  which  in 
formed  him  of  the  death  of  his  mother,  in  her 
far  away  home.  It  was  a  blow  as  hard  as  it  was 
sudden.  The  face  of  the  leader  was  almost 
ghastly  in  its  whiteness.  He  swallowed  hard 
two  or  three  times  and  then  quietly  gave  the 
command  for  his  troops  to  advance.  He  was 

20 


BIETH  AND  EARLY  HOM& 

a  soldier  of  his  country  and  the  message  which 
had  brought  him  the  deepest  sorrow  of  his  life 
up  to  that  time  must  not  be  permitted  to  allow 
his  personal  grief  to  interfere  with  his  duty. 
The  lesson  his  mother  had  taught  him  was  put 
to  the  test  and  was  not  forgotten. 


CHAPTER  HI 

BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

IN  the  family  were  three  boys  and  three  girls 
(of  the  nine  children)  that  lived  to  manhood 
and  womanhood.  Ward,  the  general's  younger 
brother,  an  officer  in  the  Spanish-American 
war,  is  dead.  Lieutenant  Paddock  married  the 
General's  sister,  Grace.  He  died  in  China  dur 
ing  the  Boxer  uprising.  Two  other  sisters  now 
reside  in  Lincoln  and  a  brother  is  in  business  in 
Chicago. 

The  writer  quoted  above  also  says,  "John 
was  always  settled  as  a  boy.  There  was  noth 
ing  sensational  or  spectacular  about  him.  He 
had  the  confidence  of  everybody."  Another  of 
his  boyhood  chums  writes:  "John  Pershing  was 
a  clean,  straight,  well  behaved  young  fellow. 
He  never  was  permitted  to  loaf  around  on  the 
streets.  Nobody  jumped  on  him  and  he  didn't 

22 


General  Pershing  as  a  Boy. 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

jump  on  anybody.  He  attended  strictly  to  his 
own  business.  He  had  his  lessons  when  he  went 
to  class.  He  was  not  a  big  talker.  He  said  a 
lot  in  a  few  words,  and  didn't  try  to  cut  any 
swell.  He  was  a  hard  student.  He  was  not 
brilliant,  but  firm,  solid  and  would  hang  on  to 
the  very  last.  We  used  to  study  our  lessons 
together  evenings.  About  nine-thirty  or  ten 
o'clock,  I'd  say: 

"  'John,  how  are  you  coming?' 

"  ' Pretty  stubborn.' 

"  'Better  go  to  bed,  hadn't  we?' 

"  'No,  Charley,  I'm  going  to  work  this 
out.'" 

One,  who  distinctly  recalls  him  as  a  boy,  de 
scribes  him:  "His  hair  was  light  and  curly. 
He  had  large  black  eyes;  was  square- jawed 
and  was  iron- willed.  His  shoulders  were  square, 
and  he  was  straight  as  an  arrow.  He  had  a 
firm,  set  mouth  and  a  high  forehead,  and  even 
as  a  boy  was  a  dignified  chap.  And  yet  he  was 
thoroughly  democratic  in  his  manner  and 
.belief." 

Another,  who  was  a  playmate,  has  the  fol- 
23 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

lowing  tribute:  "As  a  boy  Pershing  was  not 
unlike  thousands  of  other  boys  of  his  age, 
enjoying  the  same  pleasures  and  games  as  his 
other  boyhood  companions.  He  knew  the  best 
places  to  shoot  squirrels  or  quail,  knew  where 
to  find  the  hazel  or  hickory  nuts.  He  knew, 
too,  where  the  coolest  and  deepest  swimming 
pools  in  the  Locust,  Muddy  or  Turkey  creeks 
were.  Many  a  time  we  went  swimming  to 
gether  in  Pratt 's  pond.  At  school  John  was 
studious  and  better  able  than  the  most  of  us 
to  grasp  the  principles  outlined  in  the  text 
books.  As  a  rule  he  led  his  classes,  particularly 
in  mathematics.  His  primary  education  was 
obtained  in  a  little  white  school  house  of  one 
room,  eighteen  by  twenty  feet,  which  is  still 
standing.  Later  he  attended  Lewis  Hall,  a 
building  which  formerly  was  a  hospital  in  the 
War  of  the  Eebellion.  It  was  located  across 
the  street  from  the  Pershing  residence.  This 
building  later  was  moved  to  the  old  Pershing 
farm  (now  owned  by  Mrs.  John  Deninger's 
family)  and  is  used  as  a  barn. 
"John  was  and  is  naturally  human  and  that 
24 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

is  why  he  always  had  so  many  friends.  His  old 
playmates  and  friends  are  all  proud  of  his  suc 
cess  as  a  soldier,  but  they  love  him  because  of 
his  high  standards  of  principles  and  his  un 
swerving  integrity.  As  a  boy  he  was  forceful, 
honest  in  every  way  and  when  he  had  given  his 
word  we  all  knew  we  could  depend  upon  it 
absolutely." 

This  boyhood  friend  acknowledges  modestly 
that  he  and  John  were  not  entirely  ignorant  of 
the  sensations  produced  by  certain  hickory  or 
osage  switches  in  the  hands  of  an  irate  or  hasty 
teacher,  but  this  chapter  is  not  enlarged.  There 
is,  however,  an  unconsciously  proud  and  tender 
touch  in  his  closing  words,  "I  have  two  sons 
in  the  army  doing  their  bit,  and  I  am  thankful 
that  they  will  be  under  the  direction  and  order 
of  my  old  friend,  John  J.  Pershing."  True 
praise  could  not  be  better  expressed  than  in  this 
gracious  and  kindly  reference. 

But  the  future  general's  boyhood  was  not  all, 
nor  even  chiefly  devoted  to  swimming  and  nut 
ting.  There  was  hard  work  to  be  done  and  he 
was  a  hard  worker.  Long  rows  of  corn  had  to 

25 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

be  planted  and  cultivated,  pigs  and  cattle  must 
be  fed  and  cared  for,  and  the  "chores"  on  a 
Missouri  farm  began  early  in  the  morning  and 
were  not  all  done  when  at  last  the  sun  set.  The 
boy  Pershing  did  much  of  his  labor  on  the 
farms  that  his  father  had  leased  near  the  vil 
lage.  Frequently  the  farm-work  lasted  until 
late  in  the  fall  and  thereby  interfered  with  at 
tendance  at  school.  Here,  too,  there  were  ob 
stacles  to  be  overcome  and  the  commander  of 
our  army  in  France  was  early  learning  his  les 
sons  of  control  and  self-control  in  a  little  hamlet 
in  Missouri. 

At  that  time  Laclede  and  vicinity  had  more 
negroes  than  whites  in  its  population.  When 
Pershing  had  arrived  at  the  mature  age  of 
seventeen,  the  teacher  of  a  local  negro  school 
suddenly  left  and  the  school  was  turned  over 
to  him.  There  were  three  elements  in  the 
"call"  to  this  untried  position — the  school  had 
no  other  teacher,  the  need  was  great  and  in 
spite  of  his  youthfulness  it  was  believed  there 
was  no  one  who  could  do  better  under  the  cir 
cumstances  for  the  colored  children  than  he. 

26 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

He  understood  them,  lie  wanted  to  help  them, 
and  he  was  able  to  control  them.  And  he  did. 
"Discipline,"  as  it  was  commonly  understood 
in  the  country  schools,  might  have  been  defined 
as  the  ability  to  whip  the  older  boys.  Disci 
pline  as  a  positive  as  well  as  a  negative  force 
was  something  new,  and  the  new  teacher 
finished  the  year  with  the  reputation  of  having 
trained  his  pupils  to  do  something  worth  while. 

Then  white  schools  were  taken  by  the  youth 
ful  pedagogue,  and  in  them  also  he  succeeded. 
There  was  growing  up  in  his  mind  a  strong 
determination  to  secure  an  education.  In  this 
way  he  was  earning  and  saving  money  by  which 
he  should  be  able  to  carry  out  his  growing 
plans.  Dimly  in  the  background  also  was  an 
ambition  ultimately  to  study  law.  In  this  de 
sire  not  only  his  father  and  mother  but  also 
his  sister  now  was  sharing. 

In  the  Missouri  Historical  Record,  April- 
July,  1917,  there  is  recorded  the  story  of  a  con 
test  into  which  the  young  teacher  was  forced 
by  an  irate  farmer  whose  children  had  been 
disciplined. 

27 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

"Though  he  never  sought  a  quarrel,  young 
Pershing  was  known  even  at  this  time  among 
,his  fellows  as  a  'game  fighter,'  who  never 
acknowledged  defeat.  To  a  reporter  for  the 
Kansas  City  Star,  who  was  a  pupil  under  Per 
shing  when  the  general  was  a  country  school 
teacher  at  Prairie  Mound,  thirty-seven  years 
ago,  was  recently  related  an  incident  of  him  as 
a  fighting  young  schoolmaster.  One  day  at  the 
noon  hour  a  big  farmer  with  red  sideburns  rode 
up  to  the  schoolhouse  with  a  revolver  in  his 
hand.  Pershing  had  whipped  one  of  the  far 
mer's  children  and  the  enraged  parent  intended 
to  give  the  young  schoolmaster  a  flogging. 

"I  remember  how  he  rode  up  cursing  before 
all  the  children  in  the  schoolyard  and  how 
another  boy  and  I  ran  down  a  gully  because 
we  were  afraid.  We  peeked  over  the  edge, 
though,  and  heard  Pershing  tell  the  farmer  to 
put  up  his  gun,  get  down  off  his  horse  and  fight 
like  a  man. 

' l  The  farmer  got  down  and  John  stripped  off 
his  coat.  He  was  only  a  boy  of  seventeen  or 
eighteen  and  slender,  but  he  thrashed  the  old 

28 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

fanner  soundly.    And  I  have  hated  red  side 
burns  ever  since. " 

Through  all  these  various  experiences  he  was 
saving  every  penny  possible,  with  the  thought 
in  view  of  the  education  he  was  determined  to 
obtain.  At  last  the  time  arrived  when  he  and  his 
sister  departed  for  Kirksville,  Mo.,  to  enter  the 
State  Normal  School.  His  father  had  done  all 
in  his  power  for  him,  but  his  main  reliance  now 
was  upon  himself.  There  he  continued  his  for 
mer  steady  methodical  methods,  doing  well,  but 
not  being  looked  upon  as  an  exceptionally  bril 
liant  student.  He  was  still  the  same  persistent, 
reliable,  hard-working,  successful  student  he 
had  formerly  been. 

It  is  not  quite  clear  just  when  his  decision 
for  West  Point  was  made.  His  room-mate  at 
the  State  Normal  School  reports  that  it  was  in 
the  spring  when  he  and  Pershing  were  at  home 
in  vacation  time  that  the  matter  was  decided. 
According  to  his  recollection  and  report  to  the 
writer,  when  the  two  boys  were  at  home  the 
elder  Pershing  urged  his  son's  room-mate  again 
to  enter  his  store  as  clerk.  A  definite  answer 

29 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

was  postponed  until  the  following  day.  "So 
next  day  I  saw  Pershing,"  he  writes,  "and 
asked  him  what  he  was  going  to  do.  He  didn't 
know;  he  didn't  want  to  teach  a  spring  term 
of  school;  believed  he  would  go  back  to  Kirks- 
ville  for  ten  weeks.  And  then  came  the  West 
Point  opportunity." 

Another  friend  of  Pershing  at  that  time  sends 
the  following  quotation  from  the  local  paper 
which  evidently  places  the  date  at  another 
time:  "In  looking  over  some  old  papers  the 
other  day,  I  ran  across  a  copy  of  the  Laclede 
News  under  date  of  December  28th,  1881,  and 
among  other  news  items  found  the  following: 
*  John  J.  Pershing  will  take  his  leave  of  home 
and  friends  this  week  for  West  Point,  where 
he  will  enter  the  United  States  Military  Acad 
emy.  John  will  make  a  first-rate  good-looking 
cadet  with  Uncle  Sam's  blue,  and  we  trust  he 
will  ever  wear  it  with  honor  to  himself  and  the 
old  flag  which  floats  above  him.  John,  here's 
our  hand !  May  success  crown  your  efforts  and 
long  life  be  yours.'  " 

In  reality,  however,  the  only  confusion  is  be- 
30 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAIS 

tween  the  time  when  the  thought  entered  Per- 
shing's  mind  and  the  time  when  he  entered  the 
Military  Academy. 

An  advertisement  had  appeared  in  the  local 
papers  concerning  a  competitive  examination 
for  entrance.  The  announcement  bore  the  name 
of  Congressman  J.  H.  Barrows,  the  "green 
back"  representative  of  the  district,  formerly 
a  Baptist  minister.  He  was  looked  upon  by  his 
constituency  as  true  and  reliable,  a  reputation 
that  was  not  without  its  appeal  to  the  lads  who 
wanted  to  go  to  West  Point.  It  is  a  current 
report  that  not  always  had  these  appointments 
been  made  on  merit  alone  and  that  "from  $250 
to  $500  was  the  amount  frequently  paid  to  ob 
tain  them."  The  examination  was  to  be  con 
ducted  at  Trenton,  Mo.,  and  was  open  to  all 
who  were  eligible. 

Pershing  decided  to  try.  In  making  this  de 
cision  his  sister  strongly  encouraged  him,  and 
was  the  only  one  of  his  family  who  was  aware 
of  his  plan.  His  room-mate  writes  that  Per 
shing  urged  him  also  to  try.  "No,"  I  told  him, 
"I  didn't  know  that  I  could  pass."  "Well," 

31 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

lie  said,  " you'd  better  come  and  we'll  take  a 
cliance.  One  or  the  other  of  us  ought  to  win." 
I  told  him  he  had  been  in  school  three  months 
while  I  had  been  selling  goods,  and  that  if  he 
thought  he  would  like  it,  to  go,  that  I  didn't 
care  for  it.  But  I  should  like  to  have  the  edu 
cation,  though  I  should  probably  stay  in  the 
army  if  I  happened  to  pass.  "No,"  he  said, 
"I  wouldn't  stay  in  the  army.  There  won't  be 
a  gun  fired  in  the  world  for  a  hundred  years. 
If  there  isn't,  I'll  study  law,  I  guess,  but  I 
want  an  education  and  now  I  see  how  I  can 
get  it." 

Eighteen  took  the  examination  and  Pershing 
won,  though  by  only  a  single  point,  and  that 
was  given  only  after  he  and  his  competitor, 
Higginbottom,  had  broken  the  tie  by  each  dia 
graming  the  following  sentence — "I  love  to 
run!" 
Higginbottom 's  solution — 

«I»_subject. 

6 1  love ' ' — predicate. 

"to  run"— infinitive  phrase  qualifying  the 
meaning  of  the  verb. 

32 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

Pershing 's  solution  was  as  follows: 

"I"— subject. 

'  '  love ' ' — predicate. 

"to  run"  —  is  the  object. 
The   commission  preferred  Pershing 's   dia 
gram,  and  thus  by  a  single  point  he  won  the 
competitive  examination  and  received  the  ap 
pointment. 

When,  however,  Pershing  and  his  sister  in 
formed  their  mother  that  he  had  passed  the 
best  examination  and  was  to  receive  the  ap 
pointment  to  West  Point,  she  expressed  her 
strong  disapproval  of  the  plan  to  make  a  soldier 
of  John.  Her  objections  were  finally  overcome, 
and  she  consented,  partly  because  she  believed 
her  boy  when  he  said  "there  would  not  be  a  gun 
fired  for  a  hundred  years "  and  partly  because 
she  was  even  more  eager  than  he  for  him  to 
obtain  a  good  education. 

Thirty  years  afterward  General  Pershing 
himself  wrote:  "The  proudest  days  of  my  life, 
with  one  exception,  have  come  to  me  in  connec 
tion  with  West  Point  days  that  stand  out  clear 
and  distinct  from  all  others.  The  first  of  these 

33 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

was  the  day  I  won  my  appointment  at  Trenton, 
Missouri,  in  a  competitive  examination  with 
seventeen  competitors.  An  old  friend  of  the 
family  happened  to  be  at  Trenton  that  day  and 
passing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  called 
to  me  and  said,  i  John,  I  hear  you  passed  with 
flying  colors.'  In  all  seriousness,  feeling  the 
great  importance  of  my  success,  I  naively  re 
plied  in  a  loud  voice,  'Yes,  I  did,'  feeling  as 
sured  that  no  one  had  ever  passed  such  a  fine 
examination  as  I  had. ' ' 

In  spite  of  his  success,  however,  Pershing 
was  not  yet  ready  to  take  up  the  strenuous 
course  in  the  Military  Academy.  The  work 
is  severe  and  only  the  fittest  are  supposed  to 
survive.  He  must  have  a  more  careful  prepa 
ration  in  certain  branches,  he  decided,  and 
accordingly  entered  the  Highland  Military 
Academy,  Highland  Falls,  New  York,  in  which 
he  continued  as  a  student  until  the  following 
June  (1882).  The  head  of  the  school  was  sin 
cerely  loved  and  deeply  respected  by  his  boys, 
and  in  after  years  General  Pershing  usually 
referred  to  him  as  "  splendid  old  Caleb " — for 

34 


The  Highland  Military  Academy. 


United  States  Military  Academy,  "West  Point,  N.  Y. 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

"Caleb"  was  the  title  the  students  had  be 
stowed  upon  Col.  Huse. 

In  the  military  school  Pershing's  record  is 
much  what  one  who  has  followed  his  develop 
ment  in  the  preceding  years  would  expect  it  to 
be.  He  was  an  earnest,  consistent  student, 
doing  well  and  steadily  improving  in  his  work, 
without  any  flashes  of  brilliancy.  He  was  mov 
ing  not  by  leaps  but  steadily  toward  the  educa 
tion  he  was  determined  to  obtain. 

Those  who  recall  him  as  a  pupil  at  Highland 
say  that  he  is  best  remembered  for  his  physical 
strength  and  his  skill  as  a  horseman.  Doubt 
less  he  had  had  training  and  experiences  which 
were  outside  those  which  many  of  his  class 
mates  had  shared. 

At  last  in  July,  1882,  when  he  was  not  quite 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  Pershing  became  a 
plebe  in  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point.  A  part  of  his  dream  had  been  real 
ized.  His  record  shows  that  he  still  was  mani 
festing  the  traits  he  already  had  displayed. 
Persistent,  determined,  methodical,  a  hard  and 
steady  worker,  he  was  numbered  thirty  when  he 

35 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

graduated  in  his  class  of  seventy-seven.  How 
ever,  his  "all  around "  qualities  were  shown  by 
the  fact  that  in  his  fourth  class  or  final  year, 
upon  the  recommendation  of  the  commandant 
of  Cadets,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Superintend 
ent  of  the  Academy  to  be  the  senior,  that  is, 
first  in  rank,  of  all  the  cadet  captains — an  honor 
worth  while  and  of  which  Pershing  was  justly 
proud. 

His  love  of  West  Point  has  always  been 
strong.  He  is  proud  of  the  school  and  proud 
to  be  counted  among  its  graduates.  Loyal  in 
all  ways  he  has  been  specially  loyal  to  West 
Point.  Perhaps  his  true  feeling  can  be  best 
shown  by  the  following  letter  written  by  him 
when  he  was  in  far-away  Mindanao.  He  was 
class  president  at  the  time  and  sent  the  letter 
for  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  gradua 
tion  of  the  class.  Like  many  an  "old  grad" 
the  thoughts  of  the  writer  turn  affectionately 
to  the  old  days.  The  joys  and  disappointments 
are  alike  remembered  and  General  Pershing 
shows  a  slight  tendency  to  recall  an  occasional 

36 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

slip  in  the  strict  rules  of  the  institution.  This 
infraction  is  not  upheld  by  him,  and  his  friends, 
who  are  fully  aware  of  his  belief  in  strict  disci 
pline,  will  perhaps  condone  the  slight  infringe 
ment  when  they  are  aware  that  he  records  also 
the  strict  penalty  which  followed  it.  He  indi 
rectly  shows  that  the  infraction  was  due  not  to 
a  desire  to  avoid  a  task  but  came  of  a  grim  de 
termination  to  accomplish  it. 

GREETING  TO  THE  CLASS. 

Headquarters,  Department  of  Mindanao. 

Zamboanga,  P.  I. 

March  15,  1911. 
To  the  Class  of  1886, 
U.  S.  Military  Academy, 
West  Point,  New  York. 
DEAR  CLASSMATES: 

The  announcement  in  the  circular  sent  out  by 
your  committee  saying  that  I  would  write  a  letter  of 
greeting  to  be  read  at  the  class  reunion  imposes  upon 
me  a  very  pleasant  obligation.  It  gives  me  an  oppor 
tunity  as  Class  President  to  write  you  collectively 
and  to  say  many  things  that  I  would  like  to  say  if 
I  were  writing  to  each  individual.  Above  all,  how 
ever,  I  am  permitted  to  feel  myself  a  real  part  of  the 

37 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

reunion.  This  letter  shall  be  a  heartfelt  and  sincere 
word  of  greeting  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  world. 
I  shall  try  to  imagine  myself  among  you  around  the 
banquet  table  or  perhaps  again  in  the  old  tower  room, 
first  floor,  first  division,  or  familiarly  even  in  the 
"usual  place."  "With  this  greeting  I  also  send  a  word 
of  explanation  and  regret  for  my  absence,  a  few  lines 
of  reminiscence  and  pages  of  affection  and  friendship 
for  all  recorded  at  random. 

It  is  unfortunate  indeed  for  me  that  higher  author 
ity  has  concluded  that  I  should  not  leave  my  post  at 
this  time,  This  is  a  great  disappointment  to  me.  There 
is  nothing  that  could  equal  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
once  more  with  old  '86 — companions  of  my  youth, 
the  friendship  for  whom  is  above  all  others  the  dear 
est  and  most  lasting.  To  be  again  for  a  few  hours 
as  in  the  olden  days  at  West  Point  with  those  who 
stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  me  and  I  with  them 
through  over  four  years,  would  be  worth  a  great  sac 
rifice.  The  thought  makes  me  long  for  cadet  days 
again.  I  would  gladly  go  back  into  the  corps 
(although  of  course  it  has  gone  entirely  to  the  dogs 
since  we  were  cadets)  and  gladly  (in  spite  of  this) 
go  through  the  whole  course  from  beginning  to  end 
to  be  with  you  all  as  we  were  then.  Life  meant  so 
much  to  us — probably  more  than  it  ever  has  since — 
when  the  soul  was  filled  to  the  utmost  with  ambition 
and  the  world  was  full  of  promise. 

The  proudest  days  of  my  life,  with  one  exception, 
have  come  to  me  in  connection  with  West  Point  days 

38 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

that  stand  out  clear  and  distinct  from  all  others.  The 
first  of  these  was  the  day  I  won  my  appointment  at 
Trenton,  Missouri,  in  a  competitive  examination  with 
seventeen  competitors.  An  old  friend  of  the  family 
happened  to  be  at  Trenton  that  day  and  passing  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  called  to  me  and  said, 
"John,  I  hear  you  passed  with  flying  colors."  In  all 
seriousness,  feeling  the  great  importance  of  my  suc 
cess,  I  naively  replied,  in  a  loud  voice,  "Yes,  I  did," 
feeling  assured  that  no  one  had  ever  quite  passed,  such 
a  fine  examination  as  I  had.  The  next  red  letter  day 
was  when  I  was  elected  President  of  the  Class  of  '86. 
I  didn't  know  much  about  class  presidents  until  the 
evening  of  our  meeting  to  effect  a  class  organization. 
To  realize  that  a  body  of  men  for  whom  I  had  such 
an  affectionate  regard  should  honor  me  in  this  way 
was  about  all  my  equilibrium  would  stand.  Another 
important  day  was  when  I  made  a  cold  max  in  Phil, 
at  June  examination  under  dear  old  Pete,  with 
Arthur  Murray  as  instructor.  This  was  the  only  max 
I  ever  made  in  anything.  I  fairly  floated  out  of  the 
library  and  back  to  the  barracks.  The  climax  of  days 
came  when  the  marks  were  read  out  on  graduation 
day  in  June,  1886.  Little  Eddy  Gayle  smiled  when 
I  reported  five  minutes  later  with  a  pair  of  captain's 
chevrons  pinned  on  my  sleeves.  No  honor  has  ever 
come  equal  to  that.  I  look  upon  it  in  the  very  same 
light  to-day  as  I  did  then.  Some  way  these  days 
stand  out  and  the  recollection  of  them  has  always 
been  to  me  a  great  spur  and  stimulus. 

39 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

What  memories  come  rushing  forward  to  be  re 
corded.  It  was  at  Colonel  Huse's  school,  now  called 
The  Rocks,  I  believe,  with  splendid  old  Caleb  at  its 
head  that  several  of  us  got  the  first  idea  of  what  we 
were  really  in  for.  Deshon,  Frier,  "Winii,  Andrews, 
Clayton,  Billy  Wright,  Stevens,  Segare  and  the  rest 
of  us  at  Caleb's  used  to  wrestle  with  examinations  of 
previous  years  and  flyspeck  page  after  page  of  stuff 
that  we  forgot  completely  before  Plebe  camp  was  over. 

This  brings  up  a  period  of  West  Point  life  whose 
vivid  impressions  will  be  the  last  to  fade.  Marching 
into  camp,  piling  bedding,  policing  company  streets 
for  logs  or  wood  carelessly  dropped  by  upper  class- 
men,  pillow  fights  at  tattoo  with  Marcus  Miller,  sabre 
drawn  marching  up  and  down  superintending  the 
plebe  class,  policing  up  feathers  from  the  general 
parade;  light  artillery  drills,  double  timing  around 
old  Fort  Clinton  at  morning  squad  drill,  Wiley  Bean 
and  the  sad  fate  of  Ms  seersucker  coat;  midnight 
dragging,  and  the  whole  summer  full  of  events  can 
only  be  mentioned  in  passing.  No  one  can  ever  for 
get  his  first  guard  tour  with  all  its  preparation  and 
perspiration.  I  got  along  all  right  during  the  day, 
but  at  night  on  the  color  line  my  troubles  began. 
Of  course,  I  was  scared  beyond  the  point  of  properly 
applying  any  of  my  orders.  A  few  minutes  after 
taps,  ghosts  of  all  sorts  began  to  appear  from  all 
directions.  I  selected  a  particularly  bold  one  and 
challenged  according  to  orders,  "Halt,  who  comes 
there?"  At  that  the  ghost  stood  still  in  its  tracks. 

40 


Cal.  Husc 
Splendid  Old  Caleb" 


Kirksvillc,  Mo.,  State  Normal  School. 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

I  then  said,  "Halt,  who  stands  there?"  Whereupon 
the  ghost,  who  was  carrying  a  chair,  sat  down.  When 
I  promptly  said,  "Halt,  who  sits  there?" 

After  plebe  camp  came  plebe  math  and  French.  I 
never  stood  high  in  French  and  was  prone  to  bnrn 
the  midnight  oil.  One  night  Walcott  and  Burtley 
Mott  came  in  to  see  me.  My  roommate,  "Lucy"  Hunt, 
was  in  bed  asleep.  Suddenly  we  heard  Flaxy,  who 
was  officer  in  charge,  coming  up  the  stairs  several 
steps  at  a  time.  Mott  sprang  across  the  hall  into  his 
own  room.  I  snatched  the  blanket  from  the  window, 
turned  out  the  light  and  leaped  into  bed,  clothing  and 
all,  while  Walcott  seeing  escape  impossible,  gently 
woke  Hunt,  and  in  a  whisper  said,  "Lucy,  may  I 
crawl  under  your  bed?"  I  paid  the  penalty  by 
walking  six  tours  of  extra  duty. 

The  rest  of  it — yearling  camp  and  its  release  from 
plebedom,  the  first  appearance  in  the  riding  hall  of 
the  famous  '86  New  England  Cavalry,  furlough  and 
the  return  up  the  Hudson  on  the  Mary  Powell;  sec 
ond  year  class  with  its  increasing  responsibilities  and 
dignity — must  all  be  passed  with  slight  notice.  While 
the  days  were  not  always  filled  with  unalloyed  pleas 
ure,  to  be  sure,  yet  no  matter  how  distasteful  any 
thing  else  may  have  been  up  to  that  time  there  is 
none  of  us  who  would  not  gladly  live  first  class  camp 
over  again — summer  girls,  summer  hops,  first  class 
privileges,  possible  engagements,  twenty-eighth  hop, 
and  then  the  home  stretch.  As  we  look  back  from  the 

41 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  years  went  by 
all  too  rapidly. 

The  career  of  '86  at  "West  Point  was  in  many  re 
spects  remarkable.  There  were  no  cliques,  no  dissen 
sions  and  personal  prejudices  or  selfishness,  if  any 
existed,  never  came  to  the  surface.  From  the  very 
day  we  entered,  the  class  as  a  unit  has  always  stood 
for  the  very  best  traditions  of  West  Point.  The  spirit 
of  old  West  Point  existed  to  a  higher  degree  in  the 
class  of  '86  than  in  any  class  since  the  war.  The 
West  Point  under  Merritt,  Michie  and  Hasbrouck  was 
still  the  West  Point  of  Grant,  Sherman,  Sheridan, 
Schofield  and  Howard.  The  deep  impression  these 
great  men  made  during  their  visits  to  West  Point 
in  our  day  went  far  to  inspire  us  with  the  soldier's 
spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  duty  and  honor.  Those  char 
acteristics  were  carried  with  us  into  the  Army  and 
have  marked  the  splendid  career  of  the  class  during 
the  past  twenty-five  years.  The  Class  of  '86  has 
always  been  known  in  the  Army  and  is  known  to-day 
as  a  class  of  all-around  solid  men — capable  of  ably 
performing  any  duty  and  of  loyally  fulfilling  any 
trust.  The  individual  character  of  each  man  has 
made  itself  felt  upon  his  fellows  in  the  Army  from 
the  start.  In  civil  life,  as  professional  men,  or  as  men 
of  affairs,  wherever  placed  the  Class  of  '86  has  always 
made  good.  Well  may  we  congratulate  ourselves 
upon  reaching  this  quarter  century  milestone,  on  the 
achievements  of  the  class. 

If  I  thought  you  would  listen  longer  I  should  con- 
42 


BOYHOOD  AND  STUDENT  DAYS 

tinue,  but  the  evening  will  be  full  of  song  and  remi 
niscence.  Those  of  us  out  here  will  assemble  at  Manila 
and  wish  we  were  with  you  at  West  Point.  It  may  be 
that  age  and  experience  will  prevent  a  repetition  of 
the  lurid  scenes  enacted  at  the  class  dinner  in  New 
York  in  '86.  Yet  when  you  feel  time  turn  backward 
and  the  hot  blood  of  those  days  again  courses  through 
your  veins,  there  is  no  telling  what  may  happen. 
Still  all  will  be  for  the  glory  of  the  Class  and  will 
be  condoned.  Then  here's  to  the  Class  of  '86,  wives 
and  sweethearts,  children  and  grandchildren,  your 
health  and  your  success! 

Always  affectionately, 

J.  J.  P. 


CHAPTER  IV 
FIGHTING  THE  APACHES  AND  THE  Sioux 

AT  last  the  days  at  West  Point  were  ended 
and  the  class  of  ?86  was  to  take  its  place  with 
others  in  the  wide,  wide  world.  To  young 
Pershing  fell  the  lot  to  be  assigned  to  the  Sixth 
Cavalry  in  the  southwest,  where  General  Miles, 
the  successor  of  General  Crook,  was  soon  to 
bring  the  war  against  the  Apaches  to  an  end. 
He  was  then  a  second  lieutenant 

The  wily  and  daring  leader  of  the  redmen 
was  commonly  known  as  Geronimo,  a  medicine 
man  and  prophet  of  the  Chiricahuas.  Strictly 
speaking,  the  Indian's  true  name  was  Goyath- 
lay,  "one  who  yawns,"  but  the  Mexicans  had 
nicknamed  him  Geronimo — the  Spanish  for 
Jerome. 

This  Indian  was  born  abont  1834,  near  the 
headquarters  of  the  Gila  Biven  in  New  Mexico. 

44 


FIGHTING  APACHES  AND  SIOUX 

He  was  the  son  of  TaklisMm,  "The  Gray 
One."  Neither  the  father  nor  the  son  was 
a  chief,  although  Geronimo's  grandfather 
claimed  to  be  a  chieftain  without  having  been 
born  to  the  purple  or  elected  by  the  tribe. 

In  1876,  the  Mexican  authorities  complained 
bitterly  to  the  United  States  of  the  raids  and 
depredations  in  the  state  of  Sonora  by  the 
Chiricalma  Indians  with  the  result  that  it  was 
decided  by  the  Government  to  remove  the  tribe 
from  their  reservation  on  the  southern  border, 
to  San  Carlos,  Arizona.  But  Geronimo,  who 
was  a  natural  leader,  soon  gathered  a  few  of 
the  younger  chiefs  about  him  and  fled  into 
Mexico. 

Later,  he  was  arrested  and  sent  with  his 
band  to  Ojo  Caliente,  New  Mexico.  There,  ap 
parently,  thoughts  of  war  were  abandoned  and 
the  redmen  became  successful  tillers  of  the  soil 
in  the  San  Carlos  Reservation. 

After  a  time,  the  tribe  once  more  became  rest 
less  and  discontented  because  the  Government 
would  not  help  them  to  irrigate  their  lands. 
Just  how  much  justice  was  in  the  claim  it  is 

45 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSIIING 

impossible  now  to  ascertain.  Other  nearby 
lands  were  being  watered  and  this  favoritism, 
as  they  believed,  as  well  as  the  competition  of 
the  neighboring  ranches,  doubtless  had  a  strong 
effect  on  the  Indians.  At  all  events,  in  1882, 
Geronimo  was  the  leader  of  a  band  that  was 
engaged  in  many  raids  in  Sonora,  but  at  last 
his  force  was  surrounded  and  he  surrendered  to 
General  George  H.  Crook  in  the  Sierra  Madre. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Geronimo  had  one 
of  the  very  best  farms  in  the  entire  San  Carlos 
Eeservation,  the  Apache  leader  soon  was  again 
in  trouble  with  the  United  States  in  1884,  when 
attempts  were  made  to  stop  the  making  and 
sale  of  tiswin.  This  was  an  Indian  drink  and 
highly  intoxicating. 

In  1884-5,  Geronimo  gathered  and  led  a  band 
of  Apaches  that  not  only  terrorized  the  settlers 
in  southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  but  also 
the  inhabitants  of  Sonora  and  Chihuahua  h* 
Mexico.  General  Crook  was  ordered  to  proceed 
against  the  raiders  and  to  capture  or  kill  the 
chief  and  his  followers.  The  story  of  the  war 
is  rilled  with  exciting  deeds  of  daring,  but 

46 


The  Lieutenant  in  the  Family. 


FIGHTING  APACHES  AND  SIOUX 

through  them  all  Geronimo  looms  aa  the  fore 
most  figure.  His  name  came  to  inspire  terror. 

At  last  in  March,  1886,  a  truce  was  made  and 
this  was  followed  by  a  conference,  at  which 
terms  of  surrender  were  agreed  upon.  But  the 
wily  Geronimo  was  not  yet  caught.  Again 
with  a  band  of  his  devoted  followers  he  fled  to 
the  Sierra  Madre  mountains,  beyond  the  bor 
ders  of  Mexico. 

General  Miles  was  now  in  command  of  the 
United  States  troops  and  quickly  he  began  an 
energetic  campaign  against  the  Apache  out 
laws.  This  continued  until  August,  when  the 
war  came  to  an  end.  The  entire  band  of  340 
were  made  prisoners  and  the  warfare  at  last 
was  ended.  Geronimo  and  Nachi  (the  latter  a 
hereditary  chieftain  of  the  tribe,  though  his 
comrade  was  the  real  leader),  were  sent  as 
prisoners  of  war  to  Florida.  Later  they  were 
removed  to  Alabama  and  at  last  were  settled 
near  Fort  Sill,  Oklahoma.  There,  Geronimo 
evidently  concluded  (and  his  conclusion  was  the 
more  easily  arrived  at  because  he  was  under 
the  continual  supervision  of  United  States  sol- 

47 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

diers)  that  he  had  had  a  sufficiency  of  war  and 
that  henceforth  he  was  to  be  a  man  of  peace. 
He  became  prosperous,  and  was  a  most  cautious 
spender  of  his  money. 

The  part  which  Lieutenant  Pershing,  a  young 
officer  fresh  from  West  Point,  had  in  the  round 
up  of  this  campaign  naturally  was  not  of  a  char 
acter  to  bring  him  into  great  prominence.  That 
he  did  his  work  well  and  that  he  had  the  full  con 
fidence  of  his  men,  however,  are  evidenced  from 
the  following  incidents  which  remain  among  the 
reports  of  the  campaign. 

In  the  autumn  maneuver  in  1887,  he  was  spe 
cially  complimented  by  General  Miles  for 
"marching  his  troops  with  a  pack  train  of  140 
mules  in  46  hours  and  bringing  in  every  animal 
i'n  good  condition."  Doubtless  his  early  experi 
ences  in  dealing  with  mules  on  a  Missouri  farm 
had  stood  him  in  good  stead. 

Another  instance  of  his  courage  and  his  abil 
ity  to  deal  with  men,  even  at  this  early  stage  in 
his  career,  was  shown  when  word  came  of  the 
dire  predicament  of  a  score  of  "bad  men" — 
horse  thieves  and  cow-punchers — who  had  been 

48 


FIGHTING  APACHES  AND  SIOUX 

surrounded  by  the  Indians  and  were  threatened 
with  the  death  of  every  one  in  the  band  unless 
they  should  be  speedily  rescued.  The  young 
lieutenant  with  his  detachment  not  only  suc 
ceeded  in  penetrating  to  their  refuge,  but  also 
in  saving  every  one  of  them  without  the  loss  of 
the  life  of  one  man,  white  or  red.  The  same 
qualities  that  had  been  displayed  in  his  student 
days  were  here  again  in  evidence.  His  sense  of 
duty  was  still  strong  upon  him  and  quietly,  per 
sistently,  he  worked  hard  to  do  his  best. 

There  still  was  work  for  the  lieutenant  on  the 
border,  for  the  troubles  with  the  Indian  tribes 
were  by  no  means  ended.  His  service  on  fron 
tier  duty  at  Fort  Bayard,  New  Mexico,  and  in 
the  field  from  July  30,  1886,  to  July  30,  1887, 
was  followed  by  duty  at  Fort  Stanton,  New 
Mexico. 

He  went  to  Fort  Wingate,  New  Mexico,  in 
February,  1889,  remaining  there  until  Septem 
ber  1,  1889.  He  then  returned  to  Fort  Stanton 
to  stay  until  September,  1890,  when  again  he 

was  sent  to  Fort  Wingate. 

49 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

At  Fort  Wingate,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  weeks  spent  in  scout  duty,  he  remained  until 
December  1,  1890,  when  he  was  transferred  to 
take  the  field  in  the  campaign  against  the  Sioux 
Indians  at  Pine  Kidge  Agency,  South  Dakota. 
In  February,  1891,  he  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Niobrara,  in  Nebraska,  only  to  return  to  the 
Pine  Eidge  Agency  to  take  command  of  the 
Sioux  Indian  Scouts  until  July  of  the  same 
year.  Again  he  was  with  his  troops  at  Fort 
Niobrara,  remaining  until  August  7, 1891,  when 
he  was  in  command  of  a  detachment  (rifle  team) 
en  route  to  Fort  Sheridan,  Illinois.  On  Sep 
tember  25th  he  became  Professor  of  Military 
Science  and  Tactics  at  the  University  of  Ne 
braska  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska. 

This  brief  record,  however,  does  not  cover  all 
that  the  young  officer  was  doing.  Studying  and 
at  the  same  time  working  hard  at  his  duties, 
he  was  already  laying  the  foundations  for  that 
which  later  was  to  come.  At  the  time,  however, 
his  future  career  seemed  vague  if  not  impos 
sible.  Indeed,  he  himself  was  almost  convinced 
that  war  had  ceased  to  be  a  threat  among  the 

50 


FIGHTING  APACHES  AND  SIOUX 

nations.  "There  won't  be  a  gun  fired  in  a  hun 
dred  years, "  he  had  declared  to  a  friend  when 
he  was  about  to  enter  West  Point,  and  the 
thoughts  of  the  young  officer  reverted  to  the 
law  for  which  in  his  younger  days  he  had 
almost  decided  to  prepare. 

That  he  was  not  without  suggestions  and  de 
sires  to  improve  the  conditions  in  the  army  is 
shown  by  the  following  letter  which  he  wrote 
the  Journal  of  United  States  Cavalry  in  1889: 

[Journal  of  U.  S.  Cavalry,  December,  1889.] 
SOME  HINTS  FOR  IMPROVEMENT. 

More  prominence  should  be  given  to  the  revolver 
competitions  and  some  changes  might  be  made  in  the 
manner  of  conducting  them.  We  should  have  a  regu 
lar  revolver  competition  and  teams  with  competitors 
one  from  each  troop  held  every  morning,  best  pistol 
shots  in  the  troop,  and  not  have  pistol  competition 
supplementary  to  carbine  competition  though  the  two 
might  be  held  at  the  same  time  and  place. 

In  connection  with  the  army  carbine  competition 
there  should  be  an  army  revolver,  competitors  to  be 
selected  from  the  various  revolver  teams  as  they  are 
held  for  the  army  carbine  competitions. 

Prizes  for  the  revolver  teams  should  be  the  same 
as  those  awarded  to  the  infantry  department  and 

51 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

for   the    army    revolver   team   the   same    as    those 
awarded  to  the  infantry  division  teams. 

No  good  reason  can  be  seen  why  dismounted  re 
volver  firing  should  not  be  held  at  the  three  ranges, 
25,  50  and  75  yards,  the  same  as  for  individual  record 
in  the  troop.  In  the  mounted  firing,  both  in  troops 
and  practice  competitions,  no  gait  slower  than  ten 
miles  and  a  half  should  be  permitted.  These  changes 
would  give  a  stimulus  to  revolver  firing  in  the  army 
which  would  bring  about  surprising  results. 

J.  J.  PERSHING, 
Second  Lieutenant,  6th  Cavalry. 

In  the  part  which  Lieutenant  Pershing  took 
against  the  Sioux,  he  was  sharing  conditions 
which  were  by  no  means  slight  or  insignificant. 
The  Sioux  were  notably  brave  and  bold  and 
more  than  once  their  chiefs  had  outgeneraled 
the  trained  white  soldiers  that  fought  them. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  at  this  time  just 
where  to  place  the  blame  for  these  wars  with 
the  Sioux.  The  stories  of  the  causes  of  the  out 
break  told  by  the  Indians  themselves  differ 
radically  from  those  which,  were  given  by  cer 
tain  of  the  whites,  but  whatever  the  true  cause 
may  have  been,  young  Pershing  had  nothing  to 

52 


FIGHTING  APACHES  AND  SIOUX 

do  with  that.  He  was  simply  obeying  orders 
and  doing  his  best  in  the  war  with  the  redmen 
who  already  confronted  him. 

Sitting  Bull  in  particular  was  a  strong  and 
successful  fighter.  Crazy  Horse,  a  bold  and 
able  chief,  had,  as  the  Sioux  believed,  been 
treacherously  seized  and  bayoneted  by  the 
whites.  Indeed,  one  of  their  rallying  cries  in 
the  campaign  was,  "Kemember  our  Chief, 
Crazy  Horse.'' 

General  George  A.  Custer  and  nearly  every 
one  of  his  soldiers  had  been  killed  in  a  battle  on 
the  plains,  in  which  the  Indian  leaders  had 
succeeded  in  first  surrounding  Custer 's  force. 
Pa-he-hors-kah-zee  (Long  Yellow  Hair),  as  the 
redmen  had  named  Custer,  was  respected  and 
greatly  feared  by  them  and  for  that  reason  they 
did  their  utmost  to  shoot  him  first  of  all  when 
he  finally  took  his  stand  in  the  center  of  the 
hollow  square,  into  which  he  formed  his  troops 
when  he  discovered,  after  the  breaking  out  of 
the  battle,  that  he  and  his  men  were  nearly 
surrounded. 

The  death  of  General  Custer  greatly  angered 
53 


THE  STORY  OP  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  whites,  and  it  was  promptly  decided  that 
once  for  all  they  would  put  an  end  to  the  up 
risings  of  the  strong  and  wily  Sioux.  This  re 
sult,  of  course,  was  at  last  accomplished  and  in 
the  final  battle  Lieutenant  Pershing  had  his 
part.  This  battle,  which  the  whites  call 
Wounded  Knee  and  the  Indians  term  The 
Massacre  at  Wounded  Knee  Creek,  was  won 
when  the  troops  finally  surrounded  the  tepees 
of  the  redmen  and  then  demanded  that  every 
gun  should  be  given  over. 

This  demand  the  Sioux  refused,  declaring 
that  their  experiences  with  the  whites  did  not 
warrant  them  in  making  themselves  entirely 
defenseless.  They  also  explained  that  they 
themselves  had  bought  and  paid  for  every  gun 
in  the  possession  of  the  tribe. 

This  explanation  or  refusal  was  declared  to 
be  unsatisfactory.  The  command  to  attack 
quickly  was  given,  the  soldiers  fired  obediently 
and  the  report  was  made  that  they  shot  down 
every  man,  woman  and  child,  with  few  excep 
tions,  in  the  Indian  village. 

Thus  the  great  Indian  wars  came  to  an  end 
54 


FIGHTING  APACHES  AND  SIOUX 

and  whatever  may  have  been  his  feelings  con 
cerning  the  justice  of  the  methods  employed  to 
subdue  the  Sioux,  Lieutenant  Pershing  did  not 
speak.  He  was  a  young  officer  and  his  part  was 
not  to  explain,  but  to  obey. 

In  September,  1891,  he  became  Professor  of 
Military  Science  and  Tactics  at  the  University 
of  Nebraska. 


CHAPTER  V 
A  MILITAKY  INSTBUCTOR 

AT  the  University  of  Nebraska  the  young 
instructor-lieutenant  revolutionized  his  depart 
ment.  It  is  said  that  when  first  the  students 
presented  themselves  before  him,  according  to 
the  rules  of  the  University,  for  drill,  their  prep 
arations  were  nil  and  their  appearance  was  far 
from  being  prepossessing.  Previously  the  mili 
tary  drill  had  been  more  or  less  looked  upon 
by  the  student  body  as  a  somewhat  necessary 
but  negligible  and  irksome  task.  Few  prepared 
carefully  for  it  and  all  were  glad  when  the  hour 
ended. 

Under  the  new  instructor  the  change  was 
startling  and  immediate — and  the  college  boys 
liked  it.  Among  the  strict  demands  of  the  new 
instructor  was  one  that  required  every  student 

56 


A  MILITARY  INSTRUCTOR 

when  lie  appeared  for  drill  to  have  his  boots 
well  blacked.  Not  only  must  the  toes  of  the 
boots  appear  well,  but  every  boy  must  see  to 
it  that  the  heels  also  received  proper  attention. 
Perhaps  Lieutenant  Pershing  was  interpreting 
for  the  Nebraska  boys  the  familiar  old  proverb, 
" Black  the  heels  of  your  boots/' 

The  new  professor  speedily  became  popular, 
for  no  man  is  more  unpopular  in  a  student  body 
than  the  teacher  who  weakly  condones  their 
neglect  or  too  readily  excuses  their  deficiencies. 
In  spite  of  their  protests  to  the  contrary,  they 
like  the  strict  work  and  the  fair  and  exacting 
teacher.  And  Pershing  was  liked — and  liked 
more  because  he  did  not  try  to  secure  the  good 
will  of  his  students. 

The  impression  which  the  new  instructor  in 
military'  tactics  made  upon  the  student  body 
is  well  shown  by  the  following  statement  of 
the  director  of  athletics  in  the  University  at 
that  time,  who  naturally  cooperated  with  the 
official  representative  of  the  Government  whose 
influence  over  the  college  boys  speedily  became 
pronounced. 

57 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

"He  was  the  finest  man  I  ever  worked  with,"  said 
Best.  "It  is  true  he  was  mighty  strict  with  his  work, 
but  the  results  he  got  were  so  good  that  everybody 
he  worked  with  loved  him  for  it.  When  he  was  here 
we  had  a  regiment  the  University  could  be  proud 
<of.  I  just  worshipped  that  man  and  everybody 
.around  the  University  felt  the  same  about  him. 

"Usually  he  was  mighty  dignified  in  his  work,  but 
ie  had  a  way  of  getting  next  to  the  new  men. 

"The  boys  at  the  University  got  a  surprise  the  first 
time  Pershing  drilled  them.  It  had  been  their  habit 
before  this  time  to  come  to  drill  with  shoes  blackened 
or  not,  just  as  they  pleased.  When  Pershing  took 
hold  the  first  thing  he  looked  at  was  to  see  that  all 
shoes  were  well  blackened  and  that  the  heels  looked 
as  good  as  the  toes.  He  was  just  that  thorough-going 
in  everything  all  the  time." — From  the  New  York 
Times. 

An  incident  recently  told  by  one  of  his  stu 
dents  in  the  University  of  Nebraska  also  is 
illustrative  of  the  grip  the  drillmaster  had 
upon  the  student  body. 

When  Lieutenant  Pershing  later  was  ap 
pointed  to  a  new  position  in  the  Army  there  was 
keen  disappointment  among  the  students,  all 
of  whom  were  his  strong  admirers.  Cer 
tain  of  his  cadets,  who  had  profited  greatly 

58 


A  MILITARY  INSTRUCTOR 

under  his  discipline  and  served  under  his 
orders,  got  together  and  decided  that  they 
wanted  to  wear  badges  of  some  kind.  Gold 
medals  were  suggested,  but  for  obvious  reasons 
were  not  selected.  Then  one  of  the  cadets  sug 
gested  a  plan  as  novel  as  it  was  new,  and  after 
a  hearty  laugh  a  delegation  went  to  Lieutenant 
Pershing  to  ask  for  the  gift  of  his  riding 
trousers. 

"Good  Lord!"  exclaimed  the  astonished  in 
structor  in  tactics.  "What  do  you  want  of  my 
trousers  ? ' ' 

The  students  then  explained  their  plan. 
They  were  to  cut  the  trousers  into  such  small 
bits  that  both  the  blue  of  the  cloth  and  the 
yellow  of  the  border  would  be  found  in  every 
piece.  Of  these  little  strips  they  would  make 
badges — one  for  every  cadet. 

The  lieutenant  promptly  presented  his  visit 
ors  with  his  best  pair. 

One  of  the  little  band  in  relating  the  incident 
not  long  ago  said,  "We  made  the  badges,  which 
as  far  as  I  know  were  the  first  service  badges 
ever  used  in  the  United  States,  If  I  could  only 

59 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

buy,  borrow,  beg  or  steal  one  of  those  badges 
I'd  readily  wear  it  in  France  by  the  side  of  my 
ribbon  of  the  Spanish- American  war." 

With  duties  that  were  not  arduous  Lieuten 
ant  Pershing  now  not  only  continued  his 
studies,  particularly  in  strategy,  but  also  found 
time  to  carry  out  the  desire  and  plan  that  more 
or  less  had  been  in  his  thoughts  since  his  boy 
hood — he  took  the  course  in  law  as  it  was  given 
in  the  University.  From  this  course  he  grad 
uated  and  consequently  was  entitled  to  write 
another  title  after  his  name — that  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws.  He  then  was  "Professor"  Lieutenant 
John  Joseph  Pershing,  A.B.,  "Esquire." 

However,  he  was  soon  to  become  first  lieu 
tenant  in  the  10th  U.  S.  Cavalry — a  promotion 
which  he  received  October  20,  1892.  Joining 
his  troop  on  October  11, 1895,  he  was  again  sent 
into  the  service  with  the  10th  Cavalry  at  Fort 
Assinniboine,  Montana,  where  he  remained 
until  October  16,  1896.  In  June  and  July  of 
that  year  the  monotony  of  life  in  the  fort  was 
varied  by  service  in  the  field,  where  he  assisted 
in  deporting  the  Cree  Indians. 

60 


A  MILITARY  INSTRUCTOR 

A  brief  leave  of  absence  followed  this  work 
on  the  frontier,  but  on  December  17,  1896,  he 
was  assigned  to  duties  at  the  Headquarters  of 
the  Army  at  "Washington.  This  inside  work, 
however,  did  not  strongly  appeal  to  the  active 
young  lieutenant,  and  in  May  of  the  following 
year  he  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Fort  Assin- 
niboine,  Montana. 

Here,  however,  his  stay  was  to  be  very  brief 
at  this  time.  Promotion  apparently  had  been 
slow,  and  doubtless  many  a  time  the  heart  of 
the  ambitious  young  officer  must  have  been 
somewhat  heavy.  The  teachings  of  his  father, 
however,  were  now  bearing  fruit  and  not  for  a 
moment  did  Lieutenant  Pershing  relax  his 
steady,  persistent  labors.  Whether  recognition 
and  promotion  came  or  not  he  was  to  be  pre 
pared. 

But  the  quiet,  efficient  young  officer  had  not 
been  unnoticed  or  forgotten  by  those  who  were 
higher  in  authority.  At  this  time  a  new  in 
structor  in  military  tactics  was  needed  in  the 
United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point.  What  could  be  more  natural  than  that 

61 


THE  STORY"  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  choice  should  fall  upon  Pershing?  He  was 
a  hard  worker,  he  had  seen  active  service  on  the 
plains,  he  had  learned-  how  to  deal  with  men, 
and,  besides,  he  had  had  actual  experience  in 
teaching  tactics  when  he  had  been  stationed 
at  the  University  of  Nebraska.  And  behind  the 
experience  was  a  personality  quiet,  modest  and 
marvelously  efficient.  Lieutenant  John  Joseph 
Pershing  was  assigned  to  duty  at  the  United 
States  Military  Academy  as  Assistant  In 
structor  of  Tactics,  June  15,  1897. 

To  be  back  again  in  the  well-remembered  and 
beloved  institution  where  he  himself  had  been 
trained  was  a  j  oy  and  honor.  His  devotion  to  and 
appreciation  of  West  Point  strengthened  and 
intensified  by  his  experiences  in  the  years  that 
had  intervened  since  his  graduation,  we  may  be 
sure  that  the  heart  of  Lieutenant  Pershing  was 
proud  of  the  confidence  which  had  been  mani 
fested'  in  his  selection  to  fill  the  vacant  position. 

Here  again  there  was  a  continuance  of  his 
previous  record  of  quiet  and  efficient  service. 
It  is  true  he  was  older  now  and  he  was  more 
ready  for  the  public  and  social  duties  of  his 

62 


A  MILITARY  INSTRUCTOR 

position  than  perhaps  he  had  been  in  his  earlier 
days.  And  to  the  social  side  of  his  new  task 
he  responded  as  became  one  in  his  position. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  a  fresh  op 
portunity  presented  itself— the  one  for  which 
he  had  been  waiting.  The  troubles  between 
Spain  and  the  Island  of  Cuba  had  for  a  con 
siderable  time  been  threatening  to  involve  the 
United  States.  Many  people  sympathized 
with  the  Cubans  in  their  longing  and  their  ef 
forts  to  secure  their  independence.  The  sturdy 
fight  which  the  Islanders  were  making  ap 
pealed  strongly  to  many  patriotic  Americans 
who  were  glorying  in  the  traditions  of  the 
struggle  their  own  forefathers  had  made  a 
century  and  a  quarter  earlier. 

The  friction  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain  steadily  increased.  The  latter  nation, 
perhaps  not  without  a  certain  justification, 
was  claiming  that  her  colonists  were  fitting  out 
expeditions  and  obtaining  munitions  and  sup 
plies  for  their  soldiers  in  the  cities  of  the 
United  States,  a  supposedly  neutral  nation. 
She  was  not  unnaturally  irritated,  too,  by  the 

63 


THE  STORY  OP  GENERAL  PERSHING 

steadily  increasing  numbers  of  Americans  that 
were  serving  in  the  hard  pressed  and  poorly 
equipped  troops  of  Cuba.  The  culmination, 
however,  came  when  the  United  States  battle 
ship,  Maine,  was  blown  up  in  the  harbor  of 
Havana,  February  15,  1898.  The  long  delayed 
declaration  of  war  by  the  United  States,  Aprii 
21,  1898,  was  the  speedy  outcome. 


CHAPTER  VI 
IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

LIEUTENANT  PEKSHING  instantly  grasped  his 
long  awaited  opportunity.  He  resigned  his 
position  at  West  Point,  and  at  once  was  sent  to 
his  regiment,  the  10th  Cavalry,  then  at  Chica- 
mauga,  and  afterwards  near  Tampa,  Florida, 
but  in  June  of  that  same  year  he  went  to  Cuba 
and  shared  in  the  campaign  against  Santiago. 
Many  have  thought  that  the  nickname  "  Black 
Jack"  was  affectionately  given  him  because  he 
was  such  a  daring  and  dashing  leader  of  the 
exceptionally  brave  black  men  of  whom  the  10th 
U.  S.  Cavalry  at  that  time  was  composed. 

In  this  campaign  no  official  records  can  have 
quite  the  same  human  touch  as  the  words  of 
the  modest  young  officer  himself.  In  a  lecture 
or  address  in  the  Hyde  Park  M.  E.  Church, 

65 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Chicago,  November  27,  1898,  the  church  whose 
founding  was  largely  due  to  the  interest  and 
labors  of  his  father, — Lieutenant  Pershing 
described  the  experiences  and  deeds  of  his 
troop.  The  interest  at  the  time  was  keen  in 
the  campaign  he  described.  To-day,  however, 
the  interest  is  still  keener  in  the  young  lieu 
tenant  who  gave  his  vivid  description  of  the 
battles  in  which  he  shared. 

Address  by  Lieutenant  Pershing  at  the 
Hyde  Park  M.  E.  Church,  Chicago,  at  a  patri 
otic  Thanksgiving  service,  November  27,  1898: 

The  admonition  of  George  "Washington,  "In  peace 
prepare  for  war,"  had  gone  unheeded  for  one-third 
of  a  century.  Congress  had  turned  a  deaf  ear  to 
the  importunities  of  our  military  commanders.  The 
staff  departments  of  the  army  were  only  large 
enough  to  meet  the  ordinary  necessities  in  times  of 
peace  of  an  army  of  25,000  men.  They  had  not  trans 
ported  even  by  rail  for  over  thirty  years  a  larger 
command  than  a  regiment.  In  the  face  of  all  this 
every  official  both  civil  and  military  of  staff  and  line 
seemingly  did  his  best  to  overcome  these  adverse  con 
ditions  and  though  of  course  mistakes  were  made  I 
should  hesitate  to  attribute  to  any  individual  other 

66 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAK 

than  the  purest  motives  of  patriotism.  The  wonder  is 
it  was  done  at  all.  The  wonder  is  it  was  done  so  well. 
The  point  of  embarkation  for  the  first  army  of  in 
vasion  was  Port  Tampa,  Florida.  There  was  some 
delay  in  the  embarkation  due  to  various  causes  one 
of  which  was  the  inexperience  of  officers  in  transport 
ing  troops  by  water.  Another  cause  of  delay  was 
uncertainty  as  to  whether  or  not  the  Spanish  fleet  was 
really  confined  in  the  harbor  of  Santiago. 

On  the  afternoon  of  June  14th,  the  fleet  steamed 
out  under  its  naval  escort  and  a  grander  and  more 
impressive  sight  the  world  has  never  seen. 

Arriving  in  the  vicinity  of  Santiago  some  time  was 
spent  in  deciding  where  to  attempt  a  landing.  Two 
plans  were  proposed,  one  an  attack  from  the  west, 
which  was  said  would  involve,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  navy,  the  capture  of  the  outer  defenses  of  the 
harbor  of  Sanitago.  The  other  plan,  the  one  which 
was  adopted,  ignored  the  existence  of  Morro  Castle 
and  the  coast  defenses  and  contemplated  an  attack  on 
the  city  from  the  rear.  This  decided,  a  point  of  de 
barkation  was  selected  at  Daiquiri.  There  were  no 
good  maps  of  Cuba  and  very  little  was  known  of  the 
coast  or  country. 

At  Daiquiri  the  navy  prepared  the  way  for  land 
ing  by  bombarding  the  town  and  driving  out  the 
Spanish  troops  who  before  leaving  set  fire  to  the 
buildings  of  the  town  and  the  machine  shops  and  the 
mines  located  there.  There  were  no  docks  at  Daiquiri 
except  a  small  wooden  affair,  old  and  out  of  repair. 

67 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

The  vessels  could  not  go  nearer  than  about  300  yards 
from  the  shore  and  then  only  in  calm  weather. 

Nothing  was  taken  ashore  with  the  troops  except 
what  they  carried  on  their  backs,  but  the  load  was  so 
heavy  that  to  fall  overboard  in  deep  water  meant  to 
be  drowned,  though  from  the  entire  army  but  two 
men  were  lost. 

On  the  morning  of  June  23d,  the  Tenth  Cavalry, 
together  with  the  First  Cavalry  and  Roosevelt's 
Rough  Riders  and  regiments  which  formed  the  sec 
ond  brigade  of  the  cavalry  division,  were  sent  ashore 
and  moved  out  northwest  passing  through  Siboney 
to  a  point  beyond  the  most  advanced  outposts  to 
ward  Santiago.  These  troops  though  belonging  to  the 
cavalry  were  dismounted  and  in  marching  through 
marsh  and  bog  overhung  with  boughs  and  vines, 
clad  as  they  were  in  heavy  clothing,  they  soon  began 
to  feel  the  wilting  effects  of  the  tropical  sun;  but 
every  man  had  resolved  for  the  honor  of  his  country 
to  make  the  best  of  the  situation  as  a  soldier  and 
whether  working  or  marching  or  fighting  all  behaved 
as  though  the  success  of  the  campaign  depended  upon 
their  own  individual  efforts. 

On  July  10th,  the  day  set  for  the  ultimatum  of  the 
bombardment,  the  white  flags  of  truce  were  again 
taken  down  and  the  men  again  climbed  into  the 
trenches.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  at  the 
signal  of  the  first  gun  from  our  northern  battery  the 
firing  began  and  the  battle  raged  with  the  same  old 
fury  as  of  those  early  July  days;  shells  and  bullets 

68 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

whistled  violently  for  a  few  minutes  but  the  enemy's 
fire  gradually  died  away  into  silence.  They  realized 
their  helplessness  and  the  battle  was  over. 

Our  reinforcements  had  begun  to  arrive  and  the 
terms  of  capitulation  dictated  by  the  commanding 
general  were  soon  agreed  upon.  On  the  morning  of 
July  17th  the  lines  of  both  armies  were  drawn  up  to 
witness  the  formal  surrender.  General  Toral  with  an 
infantry  escort  rode  out'  from  the  city  to  meet  Gen 
eral  Shafter,  who  was  escorted  by  a  squadron  of 
mounted  cavalry.  The  formalities  were  courteous 
though  simple.  Arms  were  presented  by  both  com 
manders  and  the  Spanish  General  tendered  his  sword 
to  our  commander. 

General  Shafter,  accompanied  by  all  the  general  and 
staff  officers,  his  escort  of  cavalry  and  one  regiment 
of  infantry,  then  entered  the  city. 

Shortly  before  twelve  o  'clock  our  troops  were  again 
drawn  up  in  line  along  the  six  miles  of  trenches  and 
stood  at  present  arms.  An  officer  ascended  to  the  top 
of  the  Governor's  palace  and  lowered  the  Spanish 
colors  and  now  held  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  impatient 
to  declare  our  victory  to  the  world.  Suddenly  at 
exactly  twelve  o  'clock  the  enthusiasm  burst  forth,  can 
non  boomed  the  national  salute,  bands  played  the  Star 
Spangled  Banner,  hats  were  thrown  into  the  air  and 
ten  thousand  men  as  if  to  burst  their  throats  joined 
in  one  grand  American  yell.  There  just  beyond  the 
hill  outlined  against  the  clear  sky,  over  the  Governor's 
palace  in  the  captured  city,  though  invisible  to  many 

69 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

of  us,  floated  our  own  beloved  flag.     The  campaign 
was  over.    For  us  the  war  was  ended. 

On  June  29th  a  part  of  General  Garcia 's  Army 
with  some  4000  Cubans  were  marched  to  the  front, 
but  they  rendered  little  assistance,  either  in  working 
or  fighting.  The  most  of  them  fled  at  the  first  ex 
plosion  of  a  Spanish  shell  over  El  Pozo  Capital  Hill 
on  July  1st.  However,  some  excuse  is  theirs.  Ragged, 
some  half  naked,  wearied  from  hunger,  laden  with 
huge  earthen  water  pots,  heavy  packs  and  cooking 
utensils  slung  over  their  backs,  armed  with  every  con 
ceivable  obsolete  pattern  of  gun,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  they  dared  not  face  the  deadly  Mauser  rifle;  we 
ourselves  had  much  less  contempt  for  Spanish  arms 
after  we  had  met  them  face  to  face  on  the  battle  field. 

On  June  30th  the  general  order  came  to  move  for 
ward  and  every  man  felt  that  the  final  test  of  skill  at 
arms  would  soon  come.  The  cavalry  division  of  six 
regiments  camped  in  its  tracks  at  midnight  on  El 
Pozo  Hill,  awoke  next  morning  to  find  itself  in  sup 
port  of  Grimes'  Battery  which  was  to  open  fire  here 
on  the  left. 

The  morning  of  July  1st  was  ideally  beautiful; 
the  sky  was  cloudless  and  the  air  soft  and  balmy; 
peace  seem  to  reign  supreme,  great  palms  towered 
here  and  there  above  the  low  jungle.  It  was  a  picture 
of  a  peaceful  valley.  There  was  a  feeling  that  we  had 
secretly  invaded  the  Holy  Land.  The  hush  seemed  to 
pervade  all  nature  as  though  she  held  her  bated 
breath  in  anticipation  of  the  carnage. 

70 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

Captain  Capron's  field  guns  had  opened  fire  upon 
the  southern  field  at  El  Caney  and  the  hill  resounded 
with  echoes.  Then  followed  the  reply  of  the  musketry 
of  the  attacking  invaders.  The  fighting  in  our  front 
burst  forth  and  the  battle  was  on. 

The  artillery  duel  began  and  in  company  with 
foreign  military  attaches  and  correspondents  we  all 
sat  watching  the  effect  of  the  shots  as  men  witness 
any  fine  athletic  contest  eagerly  trying  to  locate  their 
smokeless  batteries.  A  force  of  insurgents  near  the 
old  Sugar  Mill  cowered  at  the  explosion  of  each  firing 
charge  apparently  caring  for  little  except  the  noise. 

A  slug  of  iron  now  and  then  fell  among  the  sur 
rounding  bushes  or  buried  itself  deep  in  the  ground 
near  us.  Finally  a  projectile  from  an  unseen  Span 
ish  gun  discharged  a  Hotchkiss  piece,  wounded  two 
cavalrymen  and  smashed  into  the  old  Sugar  Mill  in 
our  rear,  whereupon  the  terrorized  insurgents  fled 
and  were  not  seen  again  near  the  firing  line  until 
the  battle  was  over. 

"When  the  Tenth  Cavalry  arrived  at  the  crossing  of 
San  Juan  River  the  balloon  had  become  lodged  in  the 
treetops  above  and  the  enemy  had  just  begun  to 
make  a  target  of  it.  A  converging  fire  upon  all  the 
works  within  range  opened  upon  us  that  was  ter 
rible  in  its  effect.  Our  mounted  officers  dismounted 
and  the  men  stripped  off  at  the  roadside  everything 
possible  and  prepared  for  business. 

We  were  posted  for  a  time  in  the  bed  of  the  stream 
to  the  right  directly  under  the  balloon  and  stood  in 

71 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  water  to  our  waists  waiting  orders  to  deploy.  Re 
maining  there  under  this  galling  fire  of  exploding 
shrapnel  and  deadly  Mauser  bullets  the  minutes 
seemed  like  hours.  General  Wheeler  and  a  part  of 
his  staff  stood  mounted  a  few  minutes  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream.  Just  as  I  raised  my  hat  to  salute  in 
passing  up  the  stream  to  pass  the  squadron  of  my 
regiment,  a  piece  of  bursting  shell  struck  between  us 
and  covered  us  both  with  water.  Pursuant  to  orders 
from  its  commander,  with  myself  as  guide,  the  sec 
ond  squadron  of  the  Tenth  forced  its  way  through 
wire  fence  and  almost  inpenetrable  thicket  to  its  posi 
tion.  The  regiment  was  soon  deployed  as  skirmishers 
in  an  opening  across  the  river  to  the  right  of  the 
road  and  our  line  of  skirmishers  being  partly  visible 
from  the  enemy's  position,  their  fire  was  turned  upon 
us  and  we  had  to  lie  down  in  the  grass  a  few  minutes 
for  safety.  Two  officers  of  the  regiment  were 
wounded;  here  and  there  were  frequent  calls  for  the 
surgeon. 

White  regiments,  black  regiments,  regulars  and 
rough  riders  representing  the  young  manhood  of  the 
North  and  South  fought  shoulder  to  shoulder  unmind 
ful  of  race  or  color,  unmindful  of  whether  commanded 
by  an  ex-confederate  or  not,  and  mindful  only  of 
their  common  duty  as  Americans. 

Through  streams,  tall  grass,  tropical  undergrowth, 
under  barbed  wire  fences  and  over  wire  entangle 
ments,  regardless  of  casualties  up  the  hill  to  the  right 
this  gallant  advance  was  made.  As  we  appeared  on 

72 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

the  brow  of  the  hill  we  found  the  Spaniards  retreat 
ing  only  to  take  up  a  new  position  farther  on,  spite 
fully  firing  as  they  retreated  and  only  yielding  their 
ground  inch  by  inch. 

Our  troopers  halted  and  laid  down  but  momentarily 
to  get  a  breath  and  in  the  face  of  continued  volleys 
soon  formed  for  attack  on  the  block  houses  and  in- 
trenchments  on  the  second  hill.  This  attack  was  sup 
ported  by  troops  including  some  of  the  Tenth  who  had 
originally  moved  to  the  left  toward  this  second  hill 
and  had  worked  their  way  in  groups  slipping  through 
the  tall  grass  and  bushes,  crawling  when  casualties 
came  too  often,  courageously  facing  a  sleet  of  bullets 
and  now  hung  against  the  steep  southern  declivity 
ready  to  spring  the  few  remaining  yards  into  the 
teeth  of  the  enemy.  The  fire  from  the  Spanish  posi 
tion  had  doubled  in  intensity.  There  was  a  moment's 
lull  and  our  line  moved  forward  to  the  charge  across 
the  valley  separating  the  two  hills.  Once  begun  it 
continued  dauntless  in  its  steady,  dogged,  persistent 
advance  until  like  a  mighty  resistless  challenge  it 
dashed  triumphant  over  the  crest  of  the  hill  and  fir 
ing  a  parting  volley  at  the  vanishing  foe  planted  the 
silken  standard  on  the  enemy's  breastworks  and  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  over  the  block  house  on  San  Juan 
Hill  to  stay. 

This  was  a  time  for  rejoicing.    It  was  glorious. 
*  *  *  *  • 

But  among  the  scenes  of  rejoicing  there  was  others 
of  sadness.  Both  American  and  Spanish  troops  lay 

73 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

dead  and  wounded  around  us;  all  were  cared  for 
alike.  I  saw  a  colored  trooper  stop  at  a  trench  filled 
with  Spanish  dead  and  wounded  and  gently  raise  the 
head  of  a  wounded  Spanish  lieutenant  and  give  him 
the  last  drop  of  water  from  his  own  canteen.  Their 
dead,  of  whom  there  were  many,  had  fought  bravely 
and  we  buried  them  in  the  trenches  where  they  gal 
lantly  fell. 

The  losses  of  the  day  were  heavy — the  Tenth 
Cavalry  losing  one-half  of  its  officers  and  twenty  per 
cent  of  its  men.  We  officers  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry 
have  taken  our  black  heroes  in  our  arms.  They  had 
again  fought  their  way  into  our  affections,  as  they 
here  had  fought  their  way  into  the  hearts  of  the 
American  people.  Though  we  had  won,  it  had  cost 
us  dearly. 

An  attempt  was  made  that  evening  to  recapture 
the  hill,  but  our  defense  was  so  strong  that  the  at 
tempt  was  futile;  the  Spaniards  retreating  to  their 
first  interior  line  of  intrenchments  300  to  500  yards 
away. 

The  firing  on  both  sides  was  kept  up  until  dark 
and  ceased  only  at  intervals  during  the  night.  Over 
El  Caney  the  battle  had  raged  all  day,  but  steadily 
as  the  Spaniards  had  held  their  positions  the  fierce 
charges  of  the  gallant  Seventh,  Twelfth  and  Twenty- 
fifth  regiments  of  infantry  were  resistless.  Soon  after 
San  Juan  was  ours,  El  Caney  fell. 

By  morning  the  position  was  strengthened  so  that 
our  line  was  fairly  well  protected,  reveille  was  sounded 

74 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

by  Spanish  small  arms  and  artillery  in  chorus,  but 
the  signal  had  been  anticipated  and  all  men  were  in 
their  places  at  the  firing  line. 

Daylight  was  breaking  in  the  east  when  both  sides 
began  where  they  had  left  off  the  night  before  and 
the  firing  all  day  was  incessant.  A  few  moments 
after  the  firing  opened,  some  cannoneers  permitted  a 
limber  from  one  of  the  guns  of  the  light  battery  near 
us  to  get  away  and  it  went  rolling  down  the  hillside 
to  the  rear  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Our  artillery  was 
silenced  by  the  enemy's  small  arms  and  compelled  to 
take  up  a  new  position ;  strong  shrapnel  went  screech 
ing  over  head  and  bursting  beyond.  The  adjutant 
of  my  regiment  was  stricken  by  a  hidden  sharp 
shooter.  The  heat  soon  became  intense  and  there 
was  no  shelter  and  cannon  balls  plunged  through  the 
lines  at  the  top  of  the  hill  and  went  rolling  to  the 
bottom  of  the  valley;  bullets  spattered  against  the 
isolated  trees  or  grazed  the  newly  made  earthworks 
covering  with  dirt  the  men  in  the  trenches  and  fairly 
mowing  the  grass  for  many  yards  in  our  front.  Thus 
the  day  went  on  and  the  night  and  the  succeeding 
day  began.  Then  came  the  welcome  truth ;  everybody 
drew  a  long  breath  and  thanked  God ;  it  was  possible 
once  more  to  walk  erect ;  however,  the  echoes  of  the 
last  three  days  were  slow  to  die  away  and  at  the 
breaking  of  a  bough  or  the  rusting  of  a  leaf  there  was 
a  temptation  to  duck. 

At  noon  on  July  4th  the  regiments  were  formed  into 
line  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  to  my  regi- 

75 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

ment  a  telegram  from  the  President  extending  the 
thanks  and  congratulations  of  the  American  people  to 
the  army  in  front  of  Santiago  for  its  gallantry  and 
success. 

The  brave  Linares,  however,  had  already  realized 
the  hopelessness  of  his  cause,  but  he  would  not  sur 
render  without  permission  from  his  home  govern 
ment.  Therefore  the  city  must  be  bombarded. 
Pacificos  and  the  non-combatants  were  ordered  out 
of  the  city  and  were  permitted  to  come  within  our 
lines.  All  day  long  on  the  dusty  road  leading  from 
Santiago  to  El  Caney  passed  the  long  white  line; 
faint,  hungry  women  carried  a  bundle  of  clothing 
and  parcel  of  food  or  an  infant  while  helpless  chil 
dren  trailed  wearily  at  the  skirts  of  their  wretched 
mothers.  An  old  man  tottered  along  on  his  cane  and 
behind  him  a  puny  lad  and  an  aged  woman ;  old  and 
young  women  and  children  and  decrepit  men  of  every 
class — those  refined  and  used  to  luxury  together  with 
the  ragged  beggar — crowding  each  other  in  this  nar 
row  column.  It  was  a  pitiful  sight;  from  daylight 
to  dark 'the  miserable  procession  trooped  past.  The 
suffering  of  the  innocent  is  not  the  least  of  the  sor 
rows  of  war. 

The  days  of  truce  and  hostilities  alternated;  all 
roll  calls  were  suspended  except  the  sunset  call  and 
retreat  on  days  of  truce. 

At  the  evening  call  we  daily  ceased  our  chatting, 
cooking  or  working  and  groups  or  lines  of  officers  and 
men  stood  with  uncovered  heads  in  respectful  and 

76 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

reverent  attention  as  the  music  of  the  Star  Spangled 
Banner  and  the  sight  of  the  flag  we  had  planted  on 
the  hill  above  us,  lifted  us  out  of  ourselves  and  car 
ried  us  in  thought  to  home  and  country;  it  was  the 
soldiers'  silent  Ave  Maria. 

Duty  in  the  trenches  was  no  less  arduous  because 
of  the  few  days  of  truce ;  all  the  available  men  would 
report  to  work  at  strengthening  positions  and  build 
ing  bomb-proof  shelters.  Vigilance  never  relaxed 
until  the  capitulation.  The  rainy  season  had  set  in  in 
earnest  and  the  trenches  were  at  times  knee  deep  with 
mud  and  water.  The  constant  exposures  to  the  heat 
and  rain  together  with  the  strain  of  battle  began  to 
have  its  effect  upon  even  the  strongest  of  us.  Our 
sick  list  gradually  grew  and  the  dreaded  yellow  fever 
appeared  in  our  ranks;  the  field  hospitals  already 
overcrowded  with  wounded  were  compelled  to  ac 
commodate  the  increasing  number  of  fever  patients; 
medical  supplies  and  food  for  the  sick  were  lacking 
and  though  many  things  were  furnished  by  the  Red 
Cross  there  was  yet  a  shortage. 

Since  July  3d  the  firing  from  the  Spanish  trenches 
had  become  irregular,  desultory  and  non-effective. 
Our  artillery  gunners  now  knew  the  range  of  every 
Spanish  battery  and  our  men  in  the  trenches — every 
one  a  trained  marksman — knew  the  distance  of  every 
Spanish  position.  A  Spanish  captain  told  me  after 
ward  that  it  was  dangerous  for  them  even  to  stick 
up  a  finger  for  fear  of  having  it  shot  off ;  and  yet  the 
Spanish  commander  still  held  out. 

77 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

The  literary  style  of  the  young  lecturer  re 
veals  the  direct  virile  qualities  that  since  have 
made  General  Pershing  one  of  the  most  force 
ful  and  clear  American  writers  on  topics  hav 
ing  to  do  with  the  military  affairs  of  the  coun 
try.  His  use  of  adjectives  perhaps  is  some 
what  freer  than  in  his  later  writings,  but  there 
is  the  same  vivid,  direct  power  of  expression 
and  description.  His  modesty  at  the  time  pre 
vented  him  from  referring  to  the  fact  that 
twice  he  was  recommended  for  brevet  commis 
sions  in  the  war  with  Spain  for  "personal 
gallantry  and  untiring  energy  and  faithful 
ness.  "  Nor  did  he  mention  the  words  of  Gen 
eral  Baldwin,  a  brave  soldier  of  the  Civil  War, 
who  said  of  him:  "Pershing  is  the  coolest 
man  under  fire  I  ever  saw."  And  he  makes 
no  mention  of  the  earnest  protest  of  a  certain 
foreign  officer,  the  representative  of  his  own 
government  in  the  Santiago  campaign,  who 
begged  the  daring  troops  not  to  make  the  now 
famous  charge  up  San  Juan  Hill  because  they 
would  be  rushing  into  certain  death. 

The  official  records,  however,  are  now  avail- 
78 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

able  and  consequently  we  are  not  dependent 
upon  stories  which  occasionally  seem  to  pos 
sess  a  snow-ball  like  quality  of  increasing  in 
size  as  they  gain  in  distance  from  their  start 
ing  points. 

Headquarters,  Tenth  U.  S.  Cavalry, 

Camp  Hamilton,  Cuba,  July,  1898. 
Adjutant  General,  Second  Brigade,  Cavalry  Division, 
Fifth  Army  Corps. 

Sir: — I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  re 
port  of  the  part  taken  by  the  Tenth  Cavalry  in  the 
battle  of  July  12th  and  13th,  1898,  before  Santiago 
de  Cuba. 

On  the  morning  of  July  1st  the  regiment,  consisting 
of  troops,  A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  F,  G,  I,  field  and  staff,  oc 
cupying  a  position  on  the  left  of  the  second  cavalry, 
directed  the  line  extending  nearly  north  and  south 
on  a.  ridge  some  three  or  four  miles  from  Santiago. 

At  about  6 :30  A.  M.  a  battery  of  artillery  massed  a 
short  distance  from  our  right  opened  upon  the  works 
of  Santiago,  the  regiment  being  exposed  to  much  of 
the  return  fire  of  the  American  batteries.  After  the 
artillery  fire  had  ceased  the  regiment  moved  right 
past  the  sugar  mills  and  proceeded  in  rear  of  the 
town  on  the  road  toward  Santiago.  The  movement 
was  delayed  as  we  approached  the  San  Juan  river 
and  the  regiment  came  within  range  of  fire  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  crossing.  Upon  reaching  the 

79 


THE  STOKY  OF  GENERAL  PEESHING 

river  I  found  that  the  Seventy-first  N.  Y.  Volunteers 
were  at  the  crossing  and  that  the  regiment  preceding 
mine  had  moved  to  the  right.  The  Tenth  Cavalry 
was  here  subject  to  and  confronting  radically  an  in 
fantry  fire  from  the  three  block  houses  and  iiitrench- 
ments  in  front  and  the  works  farther  to  the  left  and 
nearer  Santiago.  The  fire  was  probably  drawn  by 
a  balloon  which  preceded  the  regiment  to  a  point  near 
the  ford  where  it  was  held.  I  was  directed  to  take  a 
position  to  the  right  behind  the  river,  however,  for 
potection  moving  to  this  position  and  while  there  the 
regiment  suffered  considerable  loss.  After  an  inter 
val  of  20  to  30  minutes  I  was  directed  to  form  line 
of  battle  in  a  particularly  open  field  facing  toward 
the  blockhouse  and  strong  intrenchments  to  the 
north  occupied  by  the  enemy.  Much  difficulty  was 
found  on  account  of  the  dense  undergrowth  crossed 
in  several  directions  by  wire  fences.  As  a  part  of  the 
cavalry  division  under  General  Sumner,  the  regiment 
was  formed  on  two  lines.  The  first  squadron  under 
Major  S.  T.  Norvall  consisting  of  troops  A,  E,  B  and 
I  leading.  The  second  line  under  Major  T.  J.  Wint 
consisting  of  troops  C,  F  and  G.  Troop  D  having 
crossed  further  down  the  river  attached  itself  to  a 
command  of  infantry  and  moved  with  that  command 
on  the  two  blockhouses.  The  regiment  advanced  in 
this  formation  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  enemy 's 
position  proceeding  but  a  short  distance  when  the 
two  lines  were  reunited  into  one.  The  advance  was 
rapidly  continued  in  an  irregular  line  toward  the 

80 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

blockhouses  and  intrenchments  to  the  right  front. 
During  this  advance  the  lines  passed  some  troops  of 
the  first  cavalry  which  I  think  had  been  previously 
formed  on  our  right.  Several  losses  occurred  before 
reaching  the  top  of  them;  first  lieutenant  W.  H. 
Smith  being  killed  as  he  arrived  at  its  crest.  The 
enemy  having  retreated  toward  the  northwest  toward 
the  second  and  third  blockhouses,  new  lines  were 
formed  and  rapid  advance  was  made  upon  the  new 
positions. 

The  regiment  assisted  in  capturing  these  works 
from  the  enemy  and  with  the  exception  of  Troops  C 
and  I  who  had  joined  the  first  volunteer  cavalry,  then 
took  up  a  position  north  of  the  second  blockhouse,  re 
maining  there  during  the  night.  With  some  changes 
in  the  positions  of  troops  they  held  this  line  of  the 
second  and  third  under  a  heavy  and  continuous  fire 
from  the  enemy's  intrenchments  in  front  and  the  regi 
ment  now  occupying  a  part  of  the  advance  intrenched 
positions.  Some  troops  lost  their  relative  positions 
in  line  during  the  first  day  of  the  battle  but  attached 
themselves  to  others  and  continued  to  move  forward. 
During  the  entire  engagement  the  regiment  acted 
with  exceptional  coolness  and  bravery.  It  held  its 
position  at  the  ford  and  moved  forward  unflinchingly 
after  deploying  through  the  advance  under  the  heavy 
fire  from  the  enemy's  works. 

The  officers  and  men  in  general  throughout  ex 
hibited  great  bravery  obeying  orders  with  unflinch 
ing  alacrity  while  attacking  with  small  arms  an 

81 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

enemy  strongly  posted  in  intrcnchment  and  block 
house  supported  with  artillery.  Words  cannot  ex 
press  my  gratification  at  such  conduct  and  I  would 
request  such  service  receive  some  special  recognition. 
It  is  difficult  to  distinguish  between  officers  and  men 
all  of  whom  are  so  deserving  but  of  the  officers  whose 
conduct  on  the  field  came  under  my  direct  personal 
observation  I  would  especially  mention  Major  S.  T. 
Norvall,  Major  T.  J.  Wint,  squadron  commander, 
first  lieutenant  J.  J.  Pershing,  quartermaster,  and 
first  lieutenant  M.  H.  Bowman,  adjutant,  for  their 
untiring  energy,  faithfulness  and  gallantry  during 
this  engagement  and  would  recommend  the  officers 
mentioned  for  brevet  commissions,  .  .  . 
Very  respectfully, 

(s)     T.  A.  BALDWIN, 

Lieutenant  Colonel,  Tenth  Cavalry, 
Commanding. 

[A  TRUE  COPY] 

Second  lieutenant,  Tenth  Cavalry,  acting  regimental 
adjutant. 


"A  foreign  officer  standing  near  our  position  when 
we  started  to  make  that  charge  was  heard  to  say, 
'Men,  for  Heaven's  sake  don't  go  up  that  hill.  It  is 
impossible  for  human  beings  to  take  that  position 
and  you  cannot  stand  the  fire/  Notwithstanding 
this  with  a  terrific  yell  we  rushed  up  to  the  enemy's 
works  and  you  know  the  result.  Men  who  were  near 

82 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

said  that  when  this  officer  saw  us  make  the  charge 
he  turned  his  back  and  wept." 


Camp  A.  G.  Porse, 
Huntsville,  Ala.,  December  1,  1898. 
The  Adjutant  General,  U.  S.  Army, 

Washington,  D.  C., 
Through  military  channels, 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following 
report  of  the  part  taken  by  Troop  D,  Tenth  Cavalry, 
in  the  engagement  before  Santiago  de  Cuba  so  far  as 
it  is  known  to  me.  As  we  approached  the  foot  of 
the  hill  our  artillerymen  fired  over  our  heads  at  the 
enemy  on  top  of  it.  This  caused  a  slowing  up  on  the 
general  advance.  When  I  was  about  half  way  up 
the  hill  I  was  disabled  by  three  bullet  wounds  re 
ceived  simultaneously.  I  had  already  received  one, 
but  did  not  know  it.  What  took  place  after  my  dis 
ablement  is  known  to  me  only  through  the  statement 
of  my  men  and  others  subsidized  by  the  depositions 
enclosed  herewith.  My  platoon  went  to  the  top  of 
the  hill  with  the  infantry  and  was  soon  afterward 
conducted  by  Lieutenant  J.  J.  Pershing,  R.  O.  M., 
Tenth  Cavalry,  to  the  line  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  some 
distance  to  the  right. 

Very  respectfully, 
JOHN  BIGELOW,  JR., 

Tenth  Cavalry,  Commanding, 

Troop  D. 
83 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

In  the  report  of  Major  Wint,  November  28th, 
1898,  to  the  adjutant-general  is  the  following: 
"  Lieutenant  Pershing,  E.O.M.,  was  with  the 
Second  Squadron  when  passed  on  Sugar  House 
Hill  and  during  its  advance  on  San  Juan  Hill  he 
conducted  himself  in  a  most  gallant  and  efficient 
manner. ' ' 

The  war  with  Spain  was  soon  terminated  but 
the  executive  ability  of  Lieutenant  Pershing 
was  still  in  demand.  The  period  of  reconstruc 
tion  was  difficult  then,  as  it  always  is,  present 
ing  problems  different  from  those  of  active 
fighting,  but  no  less  puzzling  and  perplexing. 
In  this  trying  time  we  find  him  serving  as  an 
executive  under  the  direction  of  the  War  De 
partment  and  manifesting  in  his  quiet,  persist 
ent  way  the  same  qualities  of  efficiency  which 
had  marked  his  career  up  to  this  time.  On 
August  18, 1898,  he  was  serving  as  Major  Chief 
Ordnance  Officer  with  the  United  States  Vol 
unteers,  remaining  on  duty  at  the  Headquarters 
of  the  Army  until  December  20,  1898,  and  then 
on  duty  in  the  office  of  the  Assistant  Secretary 
of  War,  under  whom  he  organized  the  Bureau 

84 


IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR 

of  Insular  Affairs,  and  was  at  the  head  of  that 
Burean  until  the  following  August.  On  May 
12, 1899,  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  Vol 
unteer  service  and  on  June  6,  1899,  he  was 
Major  and  Assistant  Adjutant  General,  United 
States  Volunteers. 

Office  and  work  of  detail  did  not,  however, 
appeal  strongly  to  him.  Having  known  the  life 
and  work  in  the  field,  and  also  possessed  of  a 
temperament  that  demanded  more  active  work 
and  out-of-door  life  that  an  office  provided,  at 
his  own  request  he  was  sent  to  the  Philippine 
Islands  and  was  assigned  to  duty  as  Adjutant 
General  of  the  District  of  Mindanao  and  Jolo 
(afterwards  a  Department  under  the  same 
name). 

He  became  captain  in  the  First  Cavalry,  Feb 
ruary,  1901,  and  on  August  20th  of  the  same 
year  he  was  transferred  to  the  Fifteenth  Cav 
alry.  His  work  in  the  Philippine  Islands  con 
tinued  and  there  his  soldierly  qualities  found  a 
larger  field  for  development  and  activity  than 
they  had  known  before. 


85 


CHAPTER  VII 
IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

THE  supreme  testing  of  Pershing  up  to  this 
time  in  his  career  came  in  the  Philippines. 
There  he  was  dealing  with  a  strange  people 
who  for  three  centuries  had  learned  their  les 
sons  and  formed  their  opinions  of  the  white 
men  from  their  contact  and  dealings  with  the 
Spaniards,  of  whom  they  had  seen  chiefly  the 
adventurers  or  those  who  for  the  "good  of 
their  country "  had  fled  from  their  homes.  To 
such  men  the  exploitation  of  the  "natives" 
was  a  legitimate  game  and  the  little  brown 
men  had  thoroughly  learned  to  play  their  part 
in  it. 

The  provinces  in  which  Pershing  was  to  find 
his  field  of  activity  were  as  difficult  as  any  in 
the  islands.  For  years  the  natives  had  been 
accustomed  to  import  arms  from  Borneo  and 
elsewhere.  Certain  of  the  tribes  were  famous 

86 


IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

also  for  their  skill  as  forgers  of  swords,  krises 
and  barongs.  Every  datto  had  numbers  of 
lantaka  or  brass  cannon  and  was  well  skilled 
in  the  use  of  them.  Pershing's  problem  was 
not  only  to  subdue  these  men, — farmers, 
artificers  and  all  alike  fighters  after  their  own 
manner,  but  he  must  also  at  the  same  time 
convince  them  of  the  good  will  and  helpful  in 
tentions  of  the  new  Government,  which  for  a 
time  and  for  their  own  good  was  now  to  con 
trol  them.  Naturally  suspicious,  treacherous 
in  many  ways,  the  Islands  presented  difficul 
ties  that  well  might  have  staggered  the  young 
officer. 

General  Pershing's  first  term  of  service  in 
the  Philippines  was  from  1899  to  1903.  In  the 
interval  between  his  first  and  second  terms  of 
service  as  soldier  and  governor  in  the  Islands, 
he  was  .back  in  the  United  States  to  serve  on 
the  General  Staff  and  also  was  serving  as 
military  attache  in  the  army  of  General 
Kuroki  in  the  war  between  Russia  and  Japan. 

In  his  first  years  in  the  Philippines  his  work 
was  of  a  character  that  made  him  known  to 

87 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  Army  and  to  the  authorities  at  Washing 
ton,  but  it  did  not  make  him  widely  known  to 
his  countrymen. 

Briefly  stated,  his  record  during  his  two 
terms  of  service  in  the  Philippines  is  as  fol 
lows:  he  was  in  the  field  November,  1900,  to 
March,  1901,  against  General  Capistrano,  the 
commander  of  the  insurrectionary  forces;  he 
was  in  command  of  an  expedition  against  the 
hostile  Moros  of  Maciu,  starting  from  Camp 
Vicars,  Mindanao,  September  18,  1902.  In  the 
actions  at  Guam,  September  18,  and  at  Baya- 
bao,  September  20,  1902,  he  had  a  responsible 
part.  On  September  29,  1902,  he  captured 
Fort  Moru,  driving  the  Moros  from  that  Pen 
insula  on  that  date.  He  attacked  the  Moros 
at  Maciu,  September  30,  1902,  capturing  their 
two  forts  and  then  returned  to  Camp  Vicars 
October  3,  1902.  He  was  again  in  action  at 
Bacolod,  April  6-8,  1903,  and  again  at  Calabui 
April  9,  1903,  and  laraca  Kiver,  May  4,  1903. 
He  commanded  the  first  military  force  that 
ever  encircled  Lake  Lanao. 

In  May,  1902,  General  Chaffee  was  desirous 


IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

of  securing  a  young  leader  to  deal  with  the 
troublesome  and  specific  problem  in  the  prov 
ince  of  Zamboanga,  where  the  fierce  and  turbu 
lent  little  Moros  dwelt.  Many  of  these  people 
were  Mohammedans  and  had  been  taught  that 
the  swiftest  and  surest  way  to  secure  happiness 
in  the  next  world  was  by  the  slaughter  of 
Christians  in  this  present  world.  During  300 
years  they  had  fought  the  Spanish  invaders, 
whose  every  attempt  to  subdue  them  had  failed. 

Pershing  in  command  of  five  troops  of  the 
Fifteenth  Cavalry,  together  with  a  battery  of 
artillery,  a  company  of  engineers  and  a  bat 
talion  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Infantry,  was 
stationed  at  Camp  Vicars  in  the  Lake  Lanao 
District  of  Mindanao.  He  had  taken  the  place 
made  vacant  by  the  promotion  of  Colonel  Bald 
win. 

Although  the  Americans  had  obtained  a  foot 
hold  on  the  southern  side  of  Lake  Lanao,  very 
few  of  them  had  actually  become  friendly.  In 
fact  the  Spaniards,  in  all  the  years  of  their  occu 
pation,  had  never  subdued  the  main  tribes  to 
subordination. 

89 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Among  those  who  especially  defied  the  Amer 
ican  authority  was  the  Sultan  of  Bacalan  and 
600  of  his  followers  who  occupied  a  stronghold 
on  the  western  side  of  Lake  Lanao  from  which 
they  made  almost  daily  forays.  Walls  of  earth 
and  bamboo  some  20  feet  in  thickness  had  been 
added  to  the  natural  defenses  of  the  position 
they  selected.  A  moat  40  feet  wide  and  30  feet 
deep  surrounded  the  position.  The  defenders 
thought  it  was  proof  against  any  possible  at 
tack.  Friendly  overtures  failed  to  make  an  im 
pression  upon  their  leaders,  and  their  cotta  was 
finally  surrounded  and  their  surrender  de 
manded.  Still  confident  of  their  prowess,  they 
declined  to  accede  to  the  American  Command 
er's  demands  and  the  latter  was  compelled  to 
assault  this  strong  fortification.  Accordingly 
trees  were  felled  and  used  to  make  a  crossing 
over  the  moat  and  when  all  was  in  readiness  the 
place  was  taken  in  a  fierce  hand-to-hand  encoun 
ter  between  the  Americans  and  the  Moros.  The 
American  success  was  complete  and  a  severe 
lesson  was  taught  to  Moros  in  that  region.  Gen 
eral  Pershing  completed  the  conquest  of  Min- 

90 


IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

danao  Moros  by  marching  his  command  entirely 
around  Lake  Lanao  through  the  dense  jungles 
and  swamps  bordering  the  lake. 

As  a  matter  of  interest  several  reports  made 
by  General  Pershing  on  his  work  in  the  Philip 
pines  follow7  and  some  in  which  reference  is 
made  to  him  by  certain  of  his  superior  officers 
at  that  time. 

In  the  later  reports  sent  by  Pershing  there 
is  manifest  the  same  painstaking  carefulness 
and  thorough  understanding  of  his  task.  He 
makes  recommendations  concerning  the  distri 
bution  of  the  troops  in  the  Philippines,  goes 
into  detail  about  the  necessity  and  the  location 
of  cold  storage  plants,  and  has  positive  convic 
tions  as  to  what  changes  ought  to  be  made  i'n 
the  Subsistence  Department.  Certain  posts 
also  ought  to  be  made  permanent.  He  clearly 
presents  the  reasons  leading  to  his  conclusions. 

Annual  Report  of  the  Lieutenant  General  command 
ing  the  Army— 1901 

The  command  left  Cagayan,  December  16th,  under 
Major  Case,  accompanied  by  Major  J.  J.  Pershing, 
adjutant  general,  department  of  Mindanao  and  Jolo. 

91 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

In  a  narrow  gorge  800  feet  deep  formed  by  the 
river  the  insurgents  were  found  in  three  strongly 
constructed  forts  which  our  troops  attacked  with 
out  loss.  The  enemy  must  have  suffered  severely,  but 
his  loss  was  not  ascertained.  Two  cannon  fell  into 
our  hands.  The  18th  and  19th  of  December  were 
consumed  in  surrounding  the  stronghold  of  Maxa- 
jambos  by  gaining  a  position  commanding  Langaran 
to  the  south  of  Maxajambos.  Langaran,  which  was 
the  headquarters  of  the  insurgents,  was  entered  on 
the  20th  and  considerable  quantity  of  provisions, 
ammunitions  of  war,  cuartels,  etc.,  were  found  and 
destroyed.  The  insurrectos  had  made  good  their 
escape  under  cover  of  darkness. 

On  the  28th,  the  insurgents  were  discovered  a  mile 
and  a  half  south  of  Langaran  occupying  a  strong 
position  which  our  troops  succeeded  in  reaching  and 
the  enemy  was  forced  to  retreat  in  disorder.  The 
command  then  moved  on  to  Talacao  but  was  not  met 
by  any  resistance.  Such  buildings  as  had  been  used 
by  the  insurgents  for  storehouses,  etc.,-  were  de 
stroyed  as  well  as  supplies.  One  prisoner  was  taken. 
The  surrounding  country  was  thoroughly  scouted 
without  encountering  any  enemy  force.  The  troops 
returned  to  Cagayan  the  31st  of  December. 

From  the  report  of  Captain  James  J.  Mays, 
40th  Infantry,  concerning  the  attack  on 
Cagayan,  December  16th  to  25th,  1900 : 

92 


IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

He  reports,  "late  in  the  afternoon  of  December 
17th  insurgents  concealed  in  the  brush  fired  on 
horses  that  were  being  watered  in  the  canon.  Major 
Pershing,  who  was  with  the  command,  took  fifteen 
men  on  one  bluff  and  I  took  about  the  same  number 
on  another  and  poured  volleys  into  the  canon,  firing 
at  smoke  from  insurgent  pieces,  silencing  their  fire. 
I  think  we  killed  some  of  them,  but  do  not  know. 
The  following  morning  Major  Pershing  crossed  the 
river  and  joined  Captain  Millar.  Captain  Millar 
threw  shells  into  Maxajambos  and  signaled  that  the 
place  seemed  deserted.  During  the  day  I  kept 
patrols  on  the  plateau.  Sefior  Cruz  came  out  on 
the  morning  of  this  day  and  I  sent  him  to  Captain 
Millar.  I  questioned  him  about  the  plan  of  cutting 
through  the  timber.  He  said  he  never  heard  of  any 
one  getting  through  there  and  that  it  would  be  very 
difficult  on  account  of  the  canon,  and  also  that  it 
would  end  on  top  of  a  cliff  400  or  500  feet  high.  I 
concluded  not  to  attempt  it." 

To  the  Headquarters  Department  of  Mindanao 

and  Jolo. 
Cagayan  de  Misamis,  P.  I. 

February  2,  1901. 
The    Commanding    Officer,    Provincial    District    of 

Mindanao  and  Jolo. 

SIR:     I   am   instructed  by   the   department   com 
mander  to  advise  you  that  General  Capistrano,  com- 

93 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

inanding  the  insurgent  forces  in  Northern  Mindanao, 
has  signified  his  wish  to  meet  the  department  com 
mander  in  conference  and  to  direct  that  you  take 
whatever  measures  are  possible  to  insure  his  safe  con 
duct  accompanied  by  his  staff  and  that  of  any  tribes 
with  a  pass  signed  by  the  commanding  general  and 
countersigned  by  the  adjutant  general.  Patrols  and 
expeditionary  forces  need  not  be  suspended  but  should 
be  warned  to  be  at  special  pains  not  to  molest  un 
resisting  parties  of  natives  and  to  take  special  care 
not  to  interfere  with  individuals  or  squadrons,  to  indi 
cate  that  their  mission  is  peaceful. 
Very  respectfully, 

J.  J.  PERSHING, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

To  the  Headquarters  Department  of  Mindanao 

and  Jolo. 
Cagayan  de  Misamis,  P.  I. 

February  28,  1901. 

To   the   Commanding   Officer,   1st   District   of   Min 
danao  and  Jolo. 

SIR:  I  am  instructed  by  the  Department  com 
mander  to  invite  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  there 
are  at  this  place  ten  prisoners  of  war  either  now 
or  recently  officers  in  the  insurgent  forces.  With 
one  or  two  exceptions  these  officers  have  voluntarily 
surrendered  one  at  a  time  and  have  been  induced  to 
do  so  with  a  distinct  understanding  that  they  would 

94 


IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 

not  be  closely  confined  or  otherwise  molested  so  long 
as  they  refrained  from  all  conduct  which  might  be 
construed  as  hostile  to  the  United  States. 

It  is  understood  that  most  of  these  have  severed 
their  connections  with  the  insurgent  forces  and  have 
thrown  up  their  appointments  as  officers. 

You  will  please  assemble  these  men,  give  them 
strict,  but  fair  limits  of  arrest,  extending  in  no  case 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Cagayan  de  Misamis 
and  inform  them  that  any  violation  of  their  obliga 
tions  as  prisoners  of  war,  however  slight,  will  be 
followed  by  immediate  arrest  and  deportation  from 
the  Philippine  Islands  to  Guam;  also  that  they  are 
to  report  daily  in  a  body  at  a  stated  hour  to  the 
Provost  Marshal. 

The  Department  Commander  further  directs  that 
you  assemble  all  the  more  prominent  citizens  of  this 
and  adjoining  towns  who  are  known  or  suspected 
of  being  in  sympathy  with  the  insurgents  and  in 
form  them  that  they  must  refrain  absolutely  from 
giving  aid  or  comfort  to  them  and  without  communi 
cating  with  the  insurgent  forces  in  any  manner  under 
penalty  of  immediate  arrest  and  deportation. 

In  carrying  out  the  terms  of  this  order  you  are 
directed  to  exercise  considerable  vigilance  and  the 
most  drastic  vigor. 

Very  respectfully, 

J.  J.  PERSHING, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

95 


CHAPTER  VIII 
SUBJECTING  THE  MOBOS 

THE  first  period  of  General  Pershing's  ser 
vice  in  the  Philippine  Islands  lasted  until  1903. 
He  then  was  recalled  to  the  United  States  and 
became  a  member  of  the  General  Staff  Corps. 
This  position  he  held  until  1906. 

Within  that  time,  however,  he  was  appointed 
the  military  attache  at  Tokio,  Japan,  and  was 
with  General  Kuroki  in  the  latter 's  campaign 
in  the  war  between  Japan  and  Eussia.  It  is 
said  that  his  report  forwarded  to  our  Govern 
ment  is  one  of  the  most  lucid  and  forceful 
military  documents  ever  received  by  the  De 
partment. 

If  any  discouragements  had  come  to  the 
young  officer  in  his  lonely  campaigns  in  the 
jungles  of  the  Philippines  and  he  had  felt  that 
somehow  he  had  been  banished  to  a  region 
where  his  services  of  necessity  would  never  be 

96 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

recognized,  that  thought  was  banished  by  the 
action  of  President  Roosevelt  in  1906. 

His  services  in  the  First  and  Fifteenth 
Cavalry  as  well  as  his  activities  in  Washington 
and  his  report  as  the  military  attache  of  his 
Government,  had  brought  him  very  strongly 
before  the  attention  of  the  President,  who  now 
was  eager  to  reward  him  for  his  faithful  ser 
vices. 

There  were  certain  obstacles,  however,  in 
the  way,  and  the  President  did  his  utmost  to 
secure  the  proper  legislation  to  enable  him  to 
reward  the  soldier  whom  he  was  eager  to 
honor.  There  were  delays,  however,  and  the 
delays  continued.  Bed  tape  exerted  its  bind 
ing  force  upon  the  makers  of  the  laws  and  no 
apparent  progress  was  made. 

Thereupon  President  Eoosevelt  in  his  direct 
way  determined  to  wait  no  longer  for  changes 
in  the  laws.  Promptly  he  nominated  Pershing 
to  be  Brigadier  General;  the  nomination  was 
confirmed  and  the  long  deferred  recognition 
was  now  manifest. 

He  had  labored  in  somewhat  obscure  fields. 
97 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

He  had  assisted  in  subduing  insurrections, 
had  supervised  many  local  improvements  in 
the  territory  within  which  he  was  working. 
He  had  assisted  in  winning  victories  and  had 
warded  off  attacks  by  hostile  Moros.  There 
had,  however,  been  nothing  spectacular  in  his 
work.  His  reliability,  good  sense,  bravery  and 
administrative  ability,  however,  were  now  bet 
ter  known  and  he  was  in  every  way  prepared 
for  the  more  important  problems  which  now 
confronted  him. 

The  President  by  his  action  had  raised  or 
" jumped "  the  new  general  eight  hundred. and 
sixty-two  orders.  Worthy  as  the  honor  was 
and  worthily  bestowed,  for  a  time  there  were 
protests  from  disappointed  seekers  after  office. 
Some  cried  "politics,"  but  as  a  rule  these  ob 
jections  came  in  loudest  tones  from  those  who 
by  devious  ways  had  sought  certain  "pulls" 
for  their  own  elevation.  Personal  ambitions 
and  personal  jealousies,  perhaps,  also  entered 
to  a  degree  and  aided  not  a  little  in  delaying 
the  legislation  which  President  Eoosevelt 
desired. 

98 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

Doubtless  this  condition  deeply  hurt  Gen 
eral  Pershing,  but  there  was  no  complaining  on 
his  part.  It  was  his  to  show  that  he  was  not 
unworthy  of  his  new  honor.  Years  before  he  had 
been  taught  by  his  father  that  to  be  worthy 
of  promotion  was  more  than  the  promotion  it 
self.  And  now  he  was  soon  to  return  to  the 
Philippines  to  show  in  the  jungle  and  on  the 
field,  in  council  and  administration,  that  the 
action  of  the  President  had  not  been  the  re 
sult  of  idle  or  thoughtless  impulse. 

Not  long  before  this  time,  on  January  26, 
1905,  General  Pershing  was  married.  There 
is  a  current  story,  for  the  truthfulness  of 
which  the  writer  cannot  vouch,  that  when  the 
nomination  of  Major  Pershing  for  promotion 
was  placed  before  the  Senate,  there  was  made 
at  the  same  time  a  just  and  true  statement  of 
the  distinguished  services  he  had  rendered  his 
country  in  his  career  in  the  Philippines.  In 
the  visitors'  gallery  with  friends,  intently 
listening  to  the  proceedings,  was  Miss  Frances 
Warren,  daughter  of  United  States  Senator 
Warren  of  Wyoming.  As  she  listened  to  the 

99 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHINQ 

words  spoken  concerning  the  American  officer 
in  the  Philippines  it  is  said  she  remarked, 
' l  What  a  wonderful  record.  I  should  like  to  see 
the  man  who  made  it. ' '  Not  long  afterward  she 
did  see  him  though  the  meeting  was  entirely 
unexpected.  Doubtless  the  man  impressed  her 
more  than  had  his  praises  to  which  she  had 
listened  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  for  on  January 
26,  1905,  she  became  Mrs.  John  Joseph  Per- 
shing. 

The  general,  who  for  years  had  been  com 
pelled  to  live  a  somewhat  lonely  life,  whose  ac 
tivities  had  kept  him  far  from  friends  and  his 
own  people,  was  now  to  have  the  help  and  com 
fort  of  the  strong  and  beautiful  daughter  of 
Senator  Warren.  Never  effusive  nor  one  to 
refer  to  his  personal  or  private  affairs,  his 
friends  nevertheless  have  told  of  the  deep  love 
of  the  General  for  his  wife  and  family — a  tragic 
setting  for  the  terrible  tragedy  which  later  in  a 
moment  disrupted  his  home  and  deprived  him 
forever  of  his  wife  and  three  little  daughters. 

Directly  after  the  wedding,  he  was  ordered  to 
Japan  as  Military  Attache  and  upon  arrival 

100 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOEOS 

immediately  joined  the  forces  of  {jeueral  Ku- 
roki  in  Manchuria,  as  has  been  said,  as  the  rep 
resentative  of  the  Army  of  the  United  States 
in  the  war  between  Japan  and  Eussia.  This 
gave  him  an  opportunity  to  witness  the  conduct 
of  modern  war,  which  was  afterwards  to  prove 
of  great  value  to  him  as  a  soldier. 

In  1907  he  returned  to  the  Philippines  for  a 
time,  but  it  was  not  until  1909  that  he  returned 
as  Governor  of  the  Moro  Province.  From  that 
time  on  his  work  in  the  Philippines  was  not 
unlike  that  in  which  he  formerly  had  been  en 
gaged. 

The  raids  of  the  Moros  on  the  coast  towns 
had  been  checked  by  the  brilliant  victory  at 
Bayan,  but  during  the  succeeding  years  the 
Moros  in  general  had  continued  very  hostile. 
Many  tribes  were  very  obdurate  and  their  long 
experience  with  the  Spaniards  made  them  con 
fident  of  their  own  ability. 

Early  in  his  career  as  Governor  of  the  Moro 
Province  General  Pershing  decided  that  the 
only  way  to  insure  peace  among  the  Moros  was 
to  disarm  them  entirely,  as  up  to  that  time  they 

101 


THE  .SJOBY  OF  GENERAL  PEESHING 

had  always  been  allowed  to  carry  both  firearms 
and  their  cutting  weapons.  When  the  edict  as 
to  disarming  the  Moros  went  forth,  the  hitherto 
hostile  elements  of  the  Sulu  Islands  went  on  the 
warpath.  Although  every  means  had  been  ex 
hausted  to  induce  the  Moros  to  lay  down  their 
arms  and  become  peaceful  citizens  their  inde 
pendent  habits  of  centuries  were  not  thus  easily 
given  up.  The  first  clash  came  at  Mt.  Dajo, 
where  several  hundred  Moros,  who  had  refused 
to  give  up  their  arms,  had  assembled  to  defy  the 
authorities.  After  all  efforts  at  argument 
proved  futile,  General  Pershing,  with  500  Amer 
ican  troops  and  an  equal  number  of  Philippine 
Scouts,  suddenly  surrounded  Mt.  Dajo.  The 
movement  of  troops  was  difficult  through  the 
jungle,  where,  in  many  places,  the  troops  were 
compelled  to  cut  a  pathway,  in  doing  which  they 
were  exposed  to  sudden  and  fierce  attacks  by 
fanatical  Moros. 

Not  a  day  was  lost  and  Mt.  Dajo  was  sur 
rounded.  Quietly  the  leader  remarked  that  he 
would  "take  the  place  if  it  took  ten  years  to 
capture  it" — a  remark  that  reminds  one  of  a 

102 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

similar  declaration  by  another  American  soldier 
that  he  would  "  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it  takes 
all  summer." 

First,  his  jungle  fighters  cut  a  trail  entirely 
around  the  base  of  the  mountain,  at  the  same 
time  doing  their  utmost  to  protect  themselves 
against  attacks  from  the  Moros,  who  were  as 
skillful  in  this  work  as  they  were  in  nearly  every 
phase  of  fighting  in  the  jungle.  The  men  were 
compelled  also  to  protect  themselves  from  at 
tacks  from  above,  for  it  was  a  favorite  method 
of  the  Moros  by  unexpected  attacks,  in  rushes 
of  wild  fury,  to  scatter  their  enemies  when  they 
tried  to  ascend. 

The  soldiers  speedily  formed  a  complete  cor 
don  around  the  mountain  and  the  siege  prompt* 
ly  began.  Pershing  knew  what  the  Moros  did 
not  know  that  he  knew, — that  when  they  had 
withdrawn  to  their  stronghold  they  had  done  so 
in  such  haste  that  they  neglected  or  were  unable 
to  bring  with  them  supplies  sufficient  for  a  long 
siege.  Not  many  days  would  pass  before  the 
necessity  of  obtaining  food  would  compel  them 

103 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

to  try  to  break  the  iron  ring  about  them  and  to 
send  out  parties  for  help. 

Pershing's  information  soon  proved  to  be 
correct.  After  a  few  days,  in  small  detachments 
the  Moros  did  their  utmost  to  gain  the  open 
jungle  by  dashing  through  the  surrounding 
lines.  But  every  dash  was  frustrated,  although 
the  fanatical  fighters  recklessly  threw  them 
selves  into  what  was  certain  death.  The  failure 
of  one  band  to  break  through  was  merely  a 
clarion  call  to  others  of  their  fellows  to  renew 
the  attempt.  The  mad  and  useless  efforts  were 
all  baffled. 

At  last  on  Christmas  Day,  1911,  the  Moros 
in  the  little  fortress  did  what  Moros  had  not 
done  before, — they  marched  down  the  mountain 
side  and  surrendered, — that  is,  all  did  save  a 
few  who  made  a  final  wild  attempt  to  break 
through  the  jungle.  The  effort  was  vain,  how 
ever,  for  the  regulars  hotly  pursued  the  little 
brown  fighters  and  the  desperadoes  paid  the 
penalty  of  their  daring. 

Soon  the  brown  fighters  were  convinced  and 
promptly  acted  accordingly.  They  discovered 

104 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

that  they  were  dealing  with  a  leader  different 
from  any  they  had  previously  known.  He  did 
exactly  what  he  said  he  would  do.  His  promise 
could  be  trusted.  His  word  was  reliable;  and 
forty  forts  soon  were  given  over  to  the  Amer 
icans. 

This  constituted  a  tremendous  tribute  to 
Pershing.  The  yellow  man  does  not  usually 
trust  the  white  man  on  account  of  many  unfor 
tunate  experiences  he  has  had.  But  now  all  this 
was  changed. 

The  subjection  of  all  the  Moros,  however,  had 
not  yet  been  accomplished.  Some  still  dis 
trusted  the  white  men  and,  as  they  believed, 
fought  to  retain  and  defend  their  homes.  At 
last,  however,  at  the  Battle  of  Bagsag  in 
June,  1913,  the  task  was  completed,  though 
Pershing 's  work  was  not  yet  all  done.  What 
he  had  believed  to  be  only  a  temporary  task 
had  now  assumed  larger  and  longer  propor 
tions.  He  had  done  so  well  that  he  was  re 
tained  not  only  in  command  but  also  was  the 
Governor  of  the  newly  conquered,  but  not  yet 

105 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

friendly  province.  Perhaps  there  is  no  better 
proof  of  the  ability  and  sterling  character  of 
General  Pershing  anywhere  to  be  fonnd  than 
the  fact  that  the  little  brown  Moros  whom  he 
defeated  and  overthrew,  later  made  him  a 
datto  of  their  tribe — an  official  position  that 
granted  him  full  power  of  life  and  death  over 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  their  numbers 
and  also  made  him  a  judge  as  well  as  a  ruler 
over  them. 

In  his  quiet,  efficient,  modest  manner  Gen 
eral  Pershing  in  a  larger  way  had  manifested 
the  same  qualities  that  had  marked  the  lad 
at  Laclede,  the  student  at  "West  Point,  and 
the  young  lieutenant  leading  his  black  troops 
in  Cuba.  To-day  all  Americans  are  proud  as 
.well  as  pleased  that  there  were  leaders  able 
to  recognize,  and  brave  enough  to  reward,  the 
services  of  a  soldier  who  had  filled  with  honor 
every  position  to  which  he  had  been  assigned. 

In  the  reports  to  the  War  Department  there 
are  many  interesting  incidents  descriptive  of 
the  daring  and  labors  of  General  Pershing, 
who  was  not  only  in  command  of  the  troops, 

106 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

but  also,  as  has  been  said,  the  military  gov 
ernor  of  the  Province  of  Mindanao.  In  his 
own  reports  there  are  general  as  well  as 
specific  recommendations  and  the  directness 
with  which  he  states  what  to  him  appear  to  be 
needful  for  the  good  of  the  Filipinos  as  well 
as  of  the  American  troops,  is  marked. 

[From  the  Report  of  June  30,  1910.] 

To  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  United  States  Army: 
To  keep  down  the  lawless  element  among  the 
Moros  and  pagan  tribes  a  relatively  large  force 
must  be  maintained  in  this  department.  "We  have 
now  occupied  these  Islands  long  enough  to  determine 
quite  definitely  where  such  posts  should  be  located. 
There  should  be  a  regiment  post  on  the  Island  of 
Jolo,  a  brigade  post  in  the  Lake  Lanoa  division  and 
the  regimental  post  in  some  point  in  the  vicinity  of 
Zamboanga,  besides  smaller  posts  at  Fort  Overton 
and  Malabang. 

Jolo  is  the  strategical  site  for  the  post  in  the  Sulu 
Archipelago.  From  there  any  point  in  the  Island 
can  be  quickly  reached  and  the  other  islands  of 
the  Sulu  group  can  be  easily  controlled.  It  pos 
sesses  a  good  harbor  and  is  otherwise  well  situated 
as  a  military  station.  Mounted  troops  can  go  any 
where  on  the  Island  and  they  exert  more  influence 
over  the  Moros  than  dismounted  troops. 

107 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

The  Lake  Lanoa  Moros  are  turbulent  and  unruly 
and  the  presence  of  a  relatively  large  force  in  that 
region  will  be  required  for  years  to  come.  The 
shores  of  Lake  Lanoa  afford  a  very  desirable  place 
for  a  military  post.  The  country  is  very  fertile  and 
in  case  of  necessity  troops  could  maintain  them 
selves  there  almost  indefinitely. 

The  erection  of  a  permanent  post  at  Zamboanga 
is  in  every  way  desirable.  Troops  located  at  Zam 
boanga  could  be  sent  to  any  place  in  the  department 
more  quickly  than  from  any  other  point. 

After  stating  that  many  of  the  barracks  and 
quarters  will  not  last  long,  he  comments : 

Permanent  posts  should  be  built  entirely  of  con-- 
Crete  or  of  a  combination  of  concrete  and  most  dur 
able  hard  woods. 

The  khaki  uniform  furnished  by  the  quarter 
masters'  department  for  tropical  service  is  poorly 
made  and  ill-fitting.  The  American  made  cotton 
khaki  cloth  is  heavy,  shrinks  badly,  fades  rapidly  and 
is  almost  as  warm  as  woolen  cloth.  This  clothing  is 
as  poor  an  excuse  for  a  military  uniform  as  can  be 
imagined.  Instead  of  offering  inducements  to  sol 
diers  to  enter  and  remain  in  foreign  service  by 
giving  them  good-looking  and  well-fitted  clothes,  we 
force  upon  them  these  unbecoming,  hot,  heavy,  ill- 
fitting  uniforms.  The  best  khaki  cloth  is  of  English 
manufacture  and  should  be  prescribed  for  the  army. 

103 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

It  is  light,  cool,  holds  its  color  and  does  not  shrink. 
All  uniform  cloth  ought  to  be  manufactured  by 
tailors  enlisted  for  the  purpose. 

He  goes  on  to  discuss  the  water  supply,  public 
animals,  ships  and  drydocks,  and  pack  and 
wagon  transportation,  water  and  sewer  sys 
tems,  the  roads  and  the  works,  ice  and  cold 
storage  plants  and  also  makes  suggestions  for 
the  engineering  and  ordnance  departments. 
He  asks  for  the  construction,  for  military  pur 
poses,  of  a  telegraph  line  of  communication 
with  the  District  of  Davao.  He  speaks  also 
of  the  marked  improvement  in  the  target  prac 
tice,  especially  in  small  arms.  He  gives  the 
details  of  the  eighteen  expeditions  entered 
upon  and  has  a  complete  description  of  the 
Subano  uprising,  which  occurred  in  November, 
1909,  among  the  hill  people  of  Zamboanga. 
Certain  Moro  chiefs  from  Lake  Lanoa,  as 
sisted  by  pagan  and  Christian  outcasts  and 
criminals  from  the  Misamis  Strip,  planned  to 
gather  the  hill  people  into  an  inaccessible  part 
of  the  "Bolman  Country."  This  plan  was 
carried  out  b/  resorting  to  false  prophecies, 

109 


THE  STOEY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

and,  in  many  cases,  to  violence.  Thousands 
of  these  small  pastoral  Subanos  were  driven 
into  camps,  where  they  would  be  more  com 
pletely  under  the  control  of  these  self-ap 
pointed  leaders.  Large  camps  were  built,  one 
at  Bolman  and  one  at  Dampalan,  and  prepara 
tions  were  made  for  defending  them.  The 
positions  were  well  selected.  The  occupants 
were  armed  with  spears,  krises,  kampilans  and 
barongs.  A  constabulary  force  from  Capitan 
was  sent  November  28th,  by  the  Governor  of 
the  Moro  provinces,  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
Barbon  camp.  The  Subanos,  under  the  lead 
ership  of  their  Moro  chiefs,  attacked  the  con 
stabulary  with  spears,  and  several  of  the  men 
were  killed.  Upon  the  call  of  the  Provincial 
Governor  for  troops,  the  second  company  of 
Philippine  scouts,  commanded  by  Captain 
Moses  T.  Barlow,  was  sent  to  Dipolog  to  re 
port  to  Major  John  J.  Finley,  Governor  of  the 
District  of  Zamboanga,  who  was  placed  in 
command. 

In  the  report  of  Major  Finley  that  officer 
writes : 

110 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

"The  considerable  reward  offered  for  the  appre 
hension  of  the  leaders  did  not  stimulate  the  natives 
to  search  for  them.  The  Subanos  were  thoroughly 
subdued  and  terrorized  by  the  rigorous  discipline  of 
the  camp  and  after  the  fight  of  November  28th  the#- 
were  only  too  glad  to  hide  themselves  in  the  woods 
and  mountains.  The  Philippines  made  no  effort 
whatever  to  earn  the  reward. 

"Ample  time  was  given  for  the  hill  people  to  take 
a  look  at  the  troops  and  become  convinced  that  this 
form  of  governmental  power  was  friendly  and  really 
interested  in  their  salvation  and  prosperity.  After 
becoming  thus  convinced,  the  good  influence  of  the 
government  spread  with  rapidity  among  the  Subanos. 
They  returned  to  their  farms  by  hundreds  daily, 
they  preferred  their  services  to  the  government  and 
declined  remuneration.  The  important  witnesses 
emerged  from  their  hiding  places  and  the  apprehen 
sion  of  the  leaders  became  a  possibility.  The  leaders 
were  caught,  the  witnesses  came  forward  from  their 
hiding  places  to  convict  them,  and  the  wondering 
Subanos  reclaimed  their  homes  and  began  life  anew. 
There  was  a  general  rejoicing  among  them." 

He  reports  a  shortage  of  officers  and  states 
that  two-year  troops  hardly  get  acquainted 
with  the  people  or  really  become  interested 
in  the  larger  problems  that  are  being  worked 
out  under  American  control.  "The  army  can- 
Ill 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

not  do  itself  full  justice  in  the  administration 
of  civil  affairs  in  a  Moro  Province  unless  the 
period  of  service  be  extended."  He  declares 
that  service  in  the  Philippine  Islands  is  not 
more  arduous  than  service  in  Texas  or  Ari 
zona.  "  There  is  no  reason  why  enlisted  men 
should  be  given  credit  for  double  service  for 
every  year  spent  in  the  Islands. " 

He  reports  also  that  the  Philippine  Scouts 
are  in  excellent  condition.  A  high  state  of  disci 
pline  exists  among  them.  Their  officers  are 
enthusiastic  and  willing,  and  the  same  spirit 
extends  to  the  men. 

In  1911,  similar  reports  are  made  concern 
ing  uniforms,  clothing,  etc.  The  general 
good  health  of  the  soldiers  is  described.  Only 
three  cases  of  typhoid  fever  occurred  in  the 
entire  department.  ' l  Too  much  time  is  devoted 
to  target  practice  in  comparison  with  other 
classes  of  training.  The  increased  pay  for  ex 
pert  riflemen,  sharpshooters  and  marksmen 
does  not  serve  to  increase  appreciation  and  the 
efficiency  in  rifle  fire."  He  recommended  that 
extra  pay  be  discontinued. 

112 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

He  reports  nineteen  expeditions  of  the  troops 
and  gives  a  clear  account  of  the  pagan  upris 
ing.  He  urges  an  increase  in  the  regular  regi 
ments  of  infantry  in  time  of  peace,  to  form  a 
substantial  basis  in  the  first  line  when  war 
comes.  "Under  no  circumstances  should  the 
enlisted  strength  of  a  regiment  be  less  than 
one  thousand  men,  in  time  of  peace.  In  war 
this  should  be  increased  to  two  thousand  four 
hundred  or  even  three  thousand. "  He  recom 
mends  that  the  cavalry  regiments  be  made 
smaller.  He  states  that  the  efficiency  of  the 
cavalry  is  not  as  high  as  it  should  be,  while 
the  field  artillery  is  below  the  recognized  re 
quirements.  The  Philippine  Scouts  sometimes 
are  inclined  to  consider  themselves  on  the  same 
footing  as  the  white  troops,  with  a  consequent 
disinclination  to  perform  duties  away  from 
well-equipped  and  centrally  located  garrisons. 

"Considering  their  low  cost  of  maintenance  I  be 
lieve  it  poor  policy  not  to  keep  them  up  to  the 
authorized  maximum  strength  of  12,000,  reducing 
the  garrison  of  American  troops  accordingly. 

"I  believe  the  time  is  propitious  for  the  organ- 
110 


113 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

ization  of  Philippine  cavalry,  mounted  on  hardy 
native  ponies  which  require  none  of  the  expensive 
hay  of  the  American  horse. 

"The  post  exchange  ought  to  be  authorized  to  sell 
beer  and  light  wines.  Conducted  under  proper 
regulations  and  under  official  supervision  this  fea 
ture  formerly  served  as  a  means  to  furnish  soldiers 
with  a  club  of  their  own  and  save  many  from  the 
grog  shops  and  the  brothels.  The  reestablishment 
of  that  part  of  the  exchange  would  go  far  to  reduce 
desertion,  venereal  diseases  and  alcoholism  among 
our  troops." 


In  1914  General  Pershing  was  recalled  from 
the  Philippine  Islands. 

His  work  and  that  of  General  Funston  was 
now  fully  recognized  by  Ms  countrymen.  Peace 
had  come  in  the  Philippines  and  the  victorious 
leaders  had  been  successful  not  only  with  their 
enemies,  but  also  in  winning  the  confidence  of 
most  of  the  tribes  they  conquered.  It  is  said 
there  was  no  man  in  the  islands  who  was  more 
deeply  respected  and  loved  by  the  natives  than 
was  General  Pershing.  They  were  fearful  of 
him,  also,  because  they  knew  that  he  would  do 
exactly  what  he  said  he  would  do.  Strict  with 

114 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOEOS 

offenders  against  the  laws,  he  was  at  the  same 
time  gentle  and  friendly  to  the  deserving,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  all  were  aware  that  he 
was  working  not  for  conquest  or  for  the  glory 
of  his  nation,  but  to  help  his  country  solve  one 
of  the  most  difficult  problems  left  by  the  Span 
ish  War.    That  problem  was  to  reconstruct  and 
reorganize  the  life  among  the  Filipinos  in  such 
a  way  that  they  themselves  should  be  helped 
and  not  hurt  by  the  plan.    When  General  Per- 
shing  returned  to  America,  hope  was  strong 
that  not  many  years  wo  aid  elapse  before  the 
little  brown  men  would  be  able  to  care  for 
themselves  and  be  recognized  as  an  independent 
nation. 

For  a  brief  time  he  was  stationed  at  the  Pre 
sidio  in  San  Francisco,  California,  but  soon 
afterward  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
southwestern  division,  along  the  Mexican  bor 
der.  It  was  while  he  was  stationed  there  in 
command  of  a  scant  and  greatly  extended  line, 
which  required  constant  change  on  his  own 
part  in  order  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  various 
elements  in  his  command,  that  the  great 

115 


THE  STOEY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

tragedy  of  the  death  of  his  wife  and  three 
little  daughters  occurred. 

On  August  27, 1915,  while  he  was  in  command 
at  El  Paso,  word  came  to  him  over  the  tele 
phone  of  the  awful  fire  in  the  Presidio  at  San 
Francisco,  where  his  family,  then  consisting  of 
his  wife,  three  little  daughters  and  a  little  son, 
we  }  residing  in  his  enforced  absence.  Of  these, 
all  except  Warren,  the  little  boy,  perished  in 
the  fire,  a  maid  having  succeeded  in  rescuing 
the  little  fellow.  When  the  terrible  message 
was  received  by  the  general  it  is  said  that  at 
last  he  inquired,  "Is  there  anything  more  to  be 
told?" 

Upon  being  assured  that  he  now  knew  not 
only  the  worst  but  had  heard  all,  he  quietly 
hung  up  the  receiver  and  turned  away.  There 
was  to  be  no  manifestation  of  his  almost 
crushing  sorrow.  It  was  his  own,  and  there 
we  too  must  leave  it.  There  are  few  who  can 
fail  to  understand.  The  lines  in  his  strong 
face  were  soon  deeper,  the  graying  hair  be 
came  lighter  still,  but  General  Pershing's  suf 
fering  and  sorrow  were  his  own,  not  even  to 

116 


SUBJECTING  THE  MOROS 

be  referred  to  except  as  one  of  the  facts  in 
the  life  of  a  man  who  belongs  not  to  himself 
alone,  but  also  to  his  country. 

It  has  been  reported  that  the  general  re 
quested  that  he  might  be  sent  on  the  most 
dangerous  service  to  which  his  country  could 
assign  him.  Whether  or  not  he  ever  made  the 
request  the  writer  does  not  know,  but  that  he 
might  have  had  such  a  feeling  in  his  heart  can 
readily  be  understood  by  all.  The  little 
motherless  lad,  Warren,  has  been  cared  for 
by  the  general's  sisters,  who  now  reside  in 
Lincoln,  Nebraska. 


CHAPTER  IX 
IN  PUKSUIT  OP  VILLA 

GENERAL  PERSHING  had  been  sent  to  the 
Mexican  border  in  command  of  the  Southwest 
ern  Division  early  in  1915.  In  command  of 
the  El  Paso  patrol  district,  he  necessarily  was 
busy  much  of  his  time  in  guarding  and  patrol 
ling  the  long  thin  lines  of  our  men  on  duty 
there. 

The  troubles  with  Mexico  had  been  steadily 
increasing  in  seriousness.  The  rivalry  and  war 
fare  between  various  leaders  in  that  country 
had  not  only  brought  their  own  country  into  a 
condition  of  distress,  but  also  had  threatened  to 
involve  the  United  States  as  well.  Citizens  of 
the  latter  country  had  invested  large  sums  in 
mining,  lumber  and  other  industries  in  Mexico 
and  were  complaining  bitterly  of  the  failure 
of  our  Government  either  to  protect  them  or 

118 


IN  PURSUIT  OF  VILLA 

their  investments.  Again  and  again,  under 
threats  of  closing  their  mines  or  confiscating 
their  property,  they  had  "bought  bonds"  of  the 
rrval  Mexican  parties,  which  was  only  another 
name  for  blackmail. 

Raids  were  becoming  increasingly  prevalent 
near  the  border  and  already  Americans  were  re 
ported  to  have  been  slain  by  these  irresponsible 
bandits  who  were  loyal  only  to  their  leaders 
and  not  always  to  them.  The  condition  was 
becoming  intolerable. 

Germany,  too,  had  her  agents  busy  within  the 
borders  of  Mexico,  artfully  striving  not  only  to 
increase  her  own  power  in  the  rich  and  dis 
tracted  country,  but  also  to  create  and  foment 
an  unreasonable  anger  against  the  United 
States,  vainly  hoping  in  this  way  to  prevent  the 
latter  country  from  entering  the  World  War 
by  compelling  her  to  face  these  threatening 
attacks  from  her  neighbor  on  the  south.  Presi 
dent  Wilson  was  doing  his  utmost  to  hold  a 
steady  course  through  the  midst  of  these  perils, 
which  daily  were  becoming  more  threatening 
and  perplexing. 

119 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

The  climax  came  early  in  March,  1915,  when 
Francesco  Villa,  the  most  daring  and  reckless 
leader  of  all  the  Mexican  bandit  bands,  sud 
denly  with  his  followers  made  an  attack  on  the 
post  at  Columbus,  New  Mexico.  The  American 
soldiers  were  taken  completely  by  surprise. 
Their  machine  guns  (some  said  there  was  only 
one  at  the  post)  jammed  and  their  defense  was 
inadequate.  They  were  not  prepared.  When 
Villa  withdrew  he  left  nine  dead  civilians  and 
eight  dead  American  soldiers  behind  him. 

Instantly  the  President  decided  that  the  time 
had  come  when  he  must  act.  There  was  still 
the  same  strong  desire  to  avoid  war  with  Mex 
ico  if  possible.  The  same  suspicion  of  Germany 
was  in  his  mind,  but  in  spite  of  these  things 
Villa  must  be  punished  and  Americans  must  be 
protected.  Quickly  a  call  for  regulars  and  State 
troops  was  made  and  General  Pershing  was 
selected  as  the  leader  of  the  punitive  expedi 
tion. 

The  New  York  Sun,  in  an  editorial  at  the 
time  of  his  selection,  said:  "At  home  in  the 
desert  country,  familiar  with  the  rules  of  sav- 

120 


IN  PURSUIT  OF  VILLA 

age  warfare,  a  regular  of  regulars,  sound  in 
judgment  as  in  physique,  a  born  cavalryman, 
John  J.  Pershing  is  an  ideal  commander  for  the 
pursuit  into  Mexico. " 

The  selection  indeed  may  have  been  "ideal," 
but  the  conditions  confronting  the  commander 
were  far  from  sharing  in  that  ideal.  Equip 
ment  was  lacking,  many  of  his  men,  though 
they  were  brave,  were  untrained,  and,  most 
perplexing  of  all,  was  the  exact  relation  of 
Mexico  to  the  United  States.  There  could  not 
be  said  to  exist  a  state  of  war  and  yet  no  one 
could  say  the  two  countries  were  at  peace.  He 
was  invading  a  hostile  country  which  was  not 
an  enemy,  for  the  raids  .of  bandit  bands  across 
the  border  did  not  mean  that  Mexico  as  a  state 
was  attacking  the  United  States.  He  must 
move  swiftly  across  deserts  and  through  moun 
tain  fastnesses,  he  was  denied  the  use  of  rail 
roads  for  transporting  either  troops  or  supplies, 
enemies  were  on  all  sides  who  were  familiar 
with  every  foot  of  the  region  and  eager  to  lure 
him  and  his  army  into  traps  from  which  escape 
would  be  well  nigh  impossible.  The  fact  is 

121 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

that  for  nearly  eleven  months  Pershing  main 
tained  his  line,  extending  nearly  four  hundred 
miles  from  his  base  of  supplies,  in  a  country 
which  even  if  it  was  not  at  war  was  at  least 
hostile.  It  is  not  therefore  surprising  that 
after  his  return  the  State  of  New  Mexico  voted 
a  handsome  gold  medal  to  the  leader  of  the 
punitive  expedition  for  his  success  in  an  ex 
ceedingly  difficult  task. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  March  15,  1916, 
when  General  Pershing  dashed  across  the  bor 
der  in  command  of  ten  thousand  United  States 
cavalrymen,  with  orders  to  "get"  Villa.  A 
captain  in  the  Civil  War  who  was  in  the  Battle 
of  Gettysburg,  when  he  learned  of  the  swift 
advance  of  General  Pershing 's  forces,  said: 
"The  hardest  march  we  ever  made  was  the 
advance  from  Frederick.  We  made  thirty 
miles  that  day  between  six  o'clock  A.M.  and 
eleven  o'clock  P.M.  But  Maryland  and  Penn 
sylvania  are  not  an  alkali  desert.  I  have  an 
idea  that  twenty-six  miles  a  day,  the  ground 
Pershing  was  covering  on  that  waterless  tramp 
in  Mexico,  was  some  hiking."  And  the  advance 

122 


IN  PURSUIT  OF  VILLA 

is  one  of  the  marvels  of  military  achievements 
when  it  is  recalled  that  the  march  was  begun 
before  either  men  or  supplies,  to  say  nothing 
of  equipment,  were  in  readiness. 

It  may  have  been  that  it  was  because  of  his 
better  knowledge  of  these  conditions  that  the 
general  wrote: 

*"0ur  people  are  not  a  warlike  people  and  the 
average  person  knows  little  about  our  army.  The 
centers  of  population  have  never  been  brought  into 
close  contact  with  it,  and,  like  anything  that  is  un 
familiar,  the  people  entertain  a  certain  prejudice 
against  it.  To  overcome  this  prejudice  and  to  arouse 
and  maintain  an  active  interest  in  military  pre 
paredness  it  will  be  necessary  to  adopt  some  plan 
that  will  bring  the  army  more  closely  in  touch  with 
the  people.  The  time  for  this  seems  opportune  and 
it  can  best  be  done  by  assigning  the  various  units 
of  the  army  to  prescribed  districts  for  local  re 
cruiting. 

"If  each  regiment  or  smaller  unit  were  composed 
of  young  men  whose  families  were  neighbors,  espe 
cially  if  the  home  station  of  that  unit  were  easily 
accessible,  the  people  would  undoubtedly  support  the 
unit  with  men  and  money.  Each  regimental  unit 
might  be  given  a  local  name  and  there  surely  would 

*  Quoted  in  the  Army  and  Navy  Journal  from  tht  Ntlf  y0rk 
Times. 

123 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

be  quite  as  much  pride  in  having  a  regiment  named 
for  a  city  or  state  as  in  having  a  war  vessel  so 
named.  A  regiment  recruited  locally  would  start 
out  with  a  high  esprit  de  corps  and  the  evil  of  de 
sertion  would  be  eliminated.  Men  now  desert  mainly 
because  they  have  no  pride  or  interest  in  the  in 
dividual  organization  to  which  they  belong.  Local 
ization  would  soon  develop  both.  It  would  also  in 
time  become  an  easy  stepping  stone  to  universal 
training  to  which  we  must  come  if  we  are  ever  to 
hope  for  a  satisfactory  solution  of  our  military 
problem. 

"Universal  training  does  not  mean  that  every  man 
would  have  to  serve  with  the  army  two  years  or 
any  other  given  length  of  time,  but  it  should  mean 
that  every  young  man  though  not  drawn  to  the 
colors  would  have  to  take  a  certain  amount  of  mili 
tary  training.  Universal  training  is  a  necessary 
prerequisite  to  effective  war  armies. 

"Under  a  system  of  compulsory  service  the  whole 
number  of  men  to  become  eligible  each  year  would 
be  greater  than  required  for  active  service  in  the 
army,  but  selections  could  be  easily  determined  by 
lot.  Those  not  drawn  for  service  with  the  colors 
would  be  given  enough  training  to  teach  the  mean 
ing  of  discipline  and  make  them  familiar  with  the 
principles  of  marching,  camping  and  shooting.  They 
would  all  be  subject  to  call  in  case  of  war  and  the 
question  as  to  whether  they  were  needed  at  the  front 
would  not  be  left  to  the  judgment  or  personal  in- 

124 


IN  PURSUIT  OF  VILLA 

clination  of  the  individual.  The  humiliating  spec 
tacle  of  expending  time  and  effort  after  war  begins 
in  appealing  through  the  press  and  platform  directly 
to  the  people  to  support  the  Government  would  not 
have  to  be  repeated.  Each  man  would  expect  to  do 
his  part.  Men  called  out  for  service  during  the  war 
require  at  least  a  year  of  drill  before  they  are 
familiar  with  what  the  modern  soldier  must  know. 
The  demands  of  modern  warfare  upon  individuals 
are  greater  than  ever  before  and  only  the  thoroughly 
trained  and  tried  soldier  is  able  to  stand  the  strain. 
In  the  Civil  War  troops  were  confronted  by  equally 
untrained  levies." 

Behind  this  calm,  clear  and  deliberate  utter 
ance  it  is  easy  to  read  the  unspoken  anxiety 
and  the  needless  strain  forced  upon  the  com 
mander  of  the  punitive  expedition  in  pursuit  of 
Villa.  And  these  words  were  written  long  be 
fore  Pershing  ever  dreamed  he  would  be  the 
leader  of  a  mighty  host  to  cross  the  seas  and 
in  a  foreign  land  fight  not  only  the  battles  of 
his  country  but  also  those  of  humanity  as  well. 

Although  the  punitive  expedition  failed  in  its 
main  purpose,— the  capture  of  Villa,— the 
opinion  in  America  was  unanimous  that  the 
leadership  had  been  superb.  The  American 

125 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Review  of  Reviews  declared  that  "the  expedi 
tion  was  conducted  from  first  to  last  in  a  way 
that  reflected  credit  on  American  arms. ' ' 

An  interesting  incident  in  this  chapter  of 
Pershing's  story  is  that  fourteen  of  the  nine 
teen  Apache  Indian  scouts  whom  he  had  helped 
to  capture  in  the  pursuit  of  Geronimo,  in  1886, 
were  aiding  him  in  the  pursuit  of  Villa.  Sev 
eral  of  these  scouts  were  past  seventy  years  of 
age;  indeed,  one  was  more  than  eighty,  but 
their  keenness  on  the  trail  and  their  long  ex 
perience  made  their  assistance  of  great  value. 
One  of  the  best  was  Sharley  and  another  was 
Peaches.  Several  of  these  Indian  scouts  are 
with  the  colors  in  France,  still  with  Pershing. 

The  main  facts  in  the  story  of  the  punitive 
expedition  are  as  follows : 

LEADING  EVENTS  IN  THE  PUNITIVE 
EXPEDITION  INTO  MEXICO 

1916 

Feb.  17  Report  in  United  States  Senate  that 

76    Americans    since    1913    had    been 
killed  in  Mexico.     36  others  had  been 
slain  on  American  soil. 
126 


IN  PURSUIT  OF  VILLA 

March  9  Villa  and  his  band  cross  the  border 

and  attack  the  13th  U.  S.  Cavalry  at 
Columbus,  New  Mexico.  8  troopers 
were  killed  and  9  civilians  wounded. 

March  10-13  Notes  were  exchanged  between  the 
U.  S.  and  Carranza.  The  U.  S.  de 
cided  upon  an  immediate  punitive 
expedition.  Two  columns  estimated 
at  6,000  men  under  Brigadier-General 
John  J.  Pershing  and  Colonel  Dodd 
enter  Mexico  from  Columbus  and 
Hachita. 

March  20  Three  columns  are  in  Mexico.  The 
maximum  penetration  is  reported  as  80 
miles. 

April  11  It     was     officially     announced     that 

18,000  Americans  were  now  on  the 
border  while  12,000  have  penetrated 
375  miles. 

April  16  A  false  report  of  Villa's  death. 

April  23-29  Conferences  are  held  at  El  Paso 
between  American  and  Mexican  offi 
cials.  The  Americans  ask  for  the 
active  cooperation  of  the  forces  of  Car 
ranza.  Skirmishes  are  reported  in 
Mexico  and  raids  are  made  on  the 
frontier  by  followers  of  Villa. 

May  9  President  calls  the  militia  of  Texas, 

New  Mexico  and  Arizona  to  the  border. 
127 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Additional  regular  troops  are  also 
sent. 

May  22  Carranza     protests     to     the     United 

States  against  the  violation  of  Mexican 
sovereignty. 

June  18  President  calls  many  militia  units  to 

the  federal  service  for  duty  on  the 
frontier  and  in  mobilization  camps. 

June  20  In  a  note  to  Carranza  the  President  de 

clines   to  withdraw   American  troops. 

June  21  A  force  of  Carranza 's  men  attack  a 

scouting  body  of  U.  S.  cavalry  at  Car- 
rizal.  A  score  of  Americans  are  killed 
and  22  made  prisoners. 

June  22  Secretary    of    State   Lansing   informs 

the  governments  of  South  and  Central 
America  concerning  the  intentions  of 
the  United  States  in  Mexico. 

June  24  Carranza  again  demands  that  Ameri 

can  troops  must  not  advance  west,  east 
or  south  in  Mexico. 

June  25  Secretary   Lansing   enters    a   demand 

for  the  return  of  the  prisoners  at  Car- 
rizal.  In  the  same  letter  he  also  de 
clares  that  the  action  at  this  place  was 
a  "formal  avowal  of  deliberately 
hostile  action. "  He  also  inquires 
what  Carranza's  intentions  are. 

June  28  Carranza    orders    the    release    of   the 

prisoners  at  Carrizal. 
128 


IN  PURSUIT  OF  VILLA 

July  1  American  troops  in  Mexico  are  gradu 

ally  being  withdrawn. 

July  4  Carranza  suggests  the  acceptance  by 

the  U.  S.  of  Latin- American  offers  of 
mediation. 

July  7-10  Views  of  American  and  Mexican  offi 
cials  are  exchanged  at  Washington. 
Within  three  weeks  60,000  militia  has 
been  brought  to  the  border. 

July  20  Carranza    suggests    a    conference    of 

three  commissioners  from  each  nation 
to  confer  concerning  withdrawal  of 
troops  and  the  raiding  of  bandits. 

July  28  President  accepts  the  proposal. 

Aug.  1  The  98,000  militia  on  the  border  is  in 

creased  by  25,000  more. 

Aug.  3  Luis    Cabrera,    Ignacio    Bonillas    and 

Alberto  J.  Pani  are  selected  as  Mexi 
can  commissioners. 

Aug.  22  Franklin  K.  Lane,  George  Gray  and 

John  B.  Mott  are  named  as  commis 
sioners  of  the  United  States. 

Aug.  30  The  War  Department   orders   15,000 

militia  to  return  from  the  border  to 
state  mobilization  camps. 

Sept.  6  American-Mexican     joint     commission 

meets  at  New  London,  Conn. 

Sept  7  The  War  Department  orders  a  return 

of  militia  regiments  to   be  mustered 
out  of  federal  service. 
129 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Sept  22  Militia  from  Kansas,  Wisconsin  and 

Wyoming  are  ordered  to  the  border  in 
place  of  the  departing  units. 

Nov.  15  Militia  to  the  number  of  5,296  ordered 

from  the  border. 

Nov.  21  The  President's  new  proposal  is  placed 

before  the  Mexican  commissioners. 

Nov.  24  At  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  a  protocol 

signed  by  the  joint  commission  is  sent 
to  Carranza.  It  provides  for  the  with 
drawal  of  the  punitive  expedition 
from  Mexico  within  40  days  after 
ratification  and  also  for  combined  pro 
tection  for  the  border. 

Dec.  18  Carranza  refuses  to  ratify  the  protocol 

and  explains  his  desire  to  submit  a 
counterstatement.  The  U.  S.  force  on 
the  border  is  reduced  to  75,000  men, 
while  12,000  are  still  in  Mexico. 

Dec.  27  Carranza  asks  for  revision  of  the  proto 

col.  This  is  declined  by  the  U.  S. 

Early  in  the  following  year  satisfactory  ad 
justments  were  made  and  the  punitive  expedi 
tion  was  withdrawn.  Villa  was  not  captured, 
but  it  is  confidently  believed  the  troubles  on  the 
border  have  been  greatly  mitigated. 


130 


CHAPTER  X 

CALLED   TO   COMMAND  THE   AMERICAN   EXPEDI 
TIONARY  FORCES  IN  FRANCE 

MEANWHILE  matters  were  moving  swiftly,  the 
results  of  which  were  to  summon  General 
Pershing  to  other  and  far  higher  duties.  The 
attitude  of  Germany  was  steadily  becoming  too 
unbearable  for  any  self-respecting  nation  to 
endure.  War  may  be  the  great  evil  which  it 
is  often  called,  and  doubtless  no  words  can  de 
scribe  its  horrors,  but  there  is  one  evil  even 
worse — for  a  nation  to  lose  its  ideals.  The  time 
for  action  by  the  United  States  had  come. 

In  President  Wilson's  war  message  after  re 
ferring  to  the  dastardly  deeds  of  Germany  he 
wrote,  "I  was  for  a  little  while  unable  to  believe 
that  such  things  would  be  done  by  any  govern 
ment  that  had  hitherto  subscribed  to  humane 
practices  of  civilized  nations,"  and  he  refers 

131 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

also  to  the  wanton  and  wholesale  destruction 
of  the  lives  of  noncombatants — men,  women 
and  children — engaged  in  pursuits  "  which  have 
always,  even  in  the  darkest  periods  of  modern 
history,  been  deemed  innocent  and  legitimate." 

In  spite  of  the  Teutonic  claim  of  a  higher 
"kultur"  than  other  nations  and  the  loudly 
expressed  desires  for  the  "freedom  of  the 
seas,"  Germany's  brutal  disregard  of  the 
rights  of  neutrals  had  extended  far  beyond  the 
confines  of  Belgium,  which  she  ruthlessly  in 
vaded  and  ravaged. 

On  the  sea  her  former  promises  were  like  her 
treaty  with  Belgium — "scraps  of  paper." 

And  the  President  had  now  behind  him  not 
merely  the  sentiment  of  his  people,  but  also 
specific  examples  to  uphold  him.  For  instance, 
Admiral  Sampson  in  the  war  with  Spain,  had 
appeared  May  12,  1898,  with  his  fleet  before 
Santiago,  Cuba.  There  he  conducted  a  recon- 
noissance  in  force  in  his  efforts  to  locate  the 
Spanish  fleet,  of  which  Admiral  Cervera  was  in 
command-  Sampson,  however,  did  not  bom 
bard  the  city,  because,  in  accordance  with  the 

132 


COMMAND  OF  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  FRANCE 

accepted  laws  of  nations,  he  would  have  been 
required  to  give  due  notice  of  his  intention  in 
order  that  the  sick,  women,  children  and  non- 
combatants  might  be  removed.  And  yet  every 
one  knew  that  a  hard,  quick  bombardment  of 
Santiago  would  have  given  him  the  city.  He 
attacked  the  forts  only,  and  before  a  gun  was 
fired  gave  his  ships'  captains  word  that  they 
were  to  avoid  hitting  the  Spanish  Military 
Hospital. 

Even  in  the  general  orders  of  the  German 
Admiralty  staff  (Berlin,  June  22,  1914)  was 
the  following  direction,  after  stating  that  the 
passengers  of  every  armed  captured  merchant 
vessel  were  to  be  left  to  go  free  "unless  it  ap 
pears  they  have  participated  in  the  resistance" : 
"Before  proceeding  to  the  destruction  of  the 
(neutral)  vessel  (which  has  been  seized  for 
proper  reason),  the  safety  of  all  persons  on 
board,  and,  so  far  as  possible  their  effects,  is 
to  be  provided  for." 

President  Wilson,  at  first  unable  to  believe 
that  Germany  was  deliberately  violating  her 
word  and  even  after  it  was  impossible  to  avoid 

133 


THE  STORY  OP  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  conclusion  that  the  campaign  of  the  Teu 
tons  was  being  conducted,  to  use  their  own  ex 
pression,  "ruthlessly,"  still  was  doing  his  ut 
most  to  keep  the  United  States  out  of  the  World 
War.  For  this  he  was  bitterly  assailed  and 
criticised.  However,  he  patiently  held  to  his 
policy  announced  a  year  before,  that  he  would 
"wait  until  facts  become  unmistakable  and 
even  susceptible  of  only  one  interpretation. " 

As  early  as  December  24,  1914,  Admiral  Yon 
Tirpitz  in  numerous  inspired  newspaper  articles 
and  interviews,  began  to  explain  the  possibility 
of  a  very  decided  change  in  the  German  U-boat 
campaign.  This  too  was  before  Germany  was 
really  suffering  in  any  marked  degree  from  the 
tightening  work  of  the  British  navy.  In  spite 
of  his  arrogant  words,  however,  the  German 
admiral  directly  asks,  "What  will  America 
say!" 

On  February  4,  1915,  the  Germans  in  a  way 
that  was  outside  all  international  law,  publicly 
declared  that  'within  certain  expressed  limits 
of  the  sea  or  war  zone,  their  U-boats  would  sink 
vessels  without  warning  found  there  without 

134 


COMMAND  OF  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  FRANCE 

permission,  or  if  they  were  engaged  in  dealings 
with  the  enemy/ 

Six  days  later  President  Wilson  warned  Ger 
many  that  she  will  be  held  to  'Strict  accounta 
bility"  if  the  rights  of  American  vessels  within 
the  proscribed  limits  are  violated. 

It  was  April  22,  1915,  when,  through  the 
acknowledged  direction  of  the  German  Em 
bassy,  advertisements  appeared  in  New  York 
papers  warning  all  against  sailing  on  vessels 
planning  to  pass  through  the  war  zone.  And 
this  was  done  in  the  face  of  the  President's 
words  and  the  correspondence  that  had  been 
carried  on  between  the  two  countries. 

The  Liisitania  was  sunk  May  7,  1915.  A 
thousand  lives  were  lost,  many  of  them  Ameri 
cans.  A  roar  of  anger  rose  from  America  and 
the  civilized  world  at  the  brutality  of  this  act, 
as  well  as  at  the  dastardly  disregard  of  the 
rights  of  neutral  nations.  "They  were 
warned, "  said  the  Germans  glibly,  as  if  their 
"warning"  was  sufficient.  For  a  nation  that 
had  made  huge  profits  in  selling  munitions  at 
other  times  to  warring  peoples  their  "warn- 

135 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

ing"  would  have  been  ridiculous  had  it  not 
been  tragic.  The  commander  of  the  U-boat  re 
ceived  a  German  medal  for  his  "gallantry"  in 
sinking  the  Li^sitania  and  sending  hundreds  of 
innocent  victims  to  their  watery  graves.  As 
if  to  add  insult  to  injury  Germany  proclaimed 
a  holiday  for  her  schools  on  the  occasion. 

President  Wilson  still  held  to  his  patient 
course.  He  would  give  Germany  every  oppor 
tunity  to  explain  the  act  before  he  himself 
acted.  May  13,  1915,  his  first  so-called  "Lusi- 
tania  letter"  was  written.  Germany  replied 
May  28th,  declaring  that  she  was  justified  in 
sinking  the  great  vessel.  On  June  9th,  the 
President  sent  his  "second  Lusitania  letter," 
and  correspondence  followed  which  plainly  in 
dicated  that  Germany  was  trying  to  evade  the 
real  issue. 

July  31,  1915,  .saw  the  ' i  third  Lusitania  let 
ter,"  for  even  then  the  President  was  doing  his 
utmost  to  avoid  war,  if  avoidance  was  possible. 
On  August  19,  1915,  the  Arabic  was  torpedoed 
by  a  U-boat  and  still  other  Americans  lost 
their  lives.  The  German  ambassador  to  the 

136 


COMMAND  OF  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  FRANCE 

United  States,  Count  von  Bernstorff,  however, 
apparently  thought  to  stave  off  action  by  pledg 
ing  (orally)  for  his  country  that  her  submarines 
would  not  sink  " liners"  without  warning. 

The  ambassador's  words  were  not  unlike 
those  previously  received,  for  instead  of  the 
matter  being  settled,  still  more  unsatisfactory 
correspondence  followed  and  other  boats  also 
were  sent  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

The  following  February,  Germany  made  cer 
tain  proposals  that  had  an  appearance  of  a 
grudging  or  compulsory  willingness  on  her  part 
to  provide  for  the  Lusitania  victims,  but  within 
a  few  days  (March  24, 1916),  another  passenger 
steamer,  the  Sussex,  was  torpedoed,  and  among 
the  lost  were  Americans. 

The  feeling  in  Washington  was  becoming 
tense  and  was  still  more  intensified  in  April, 
when  Germany  sneeringly  explained  that  she 
was  not  positive  whether  or  not  she  sank  the 
Sussex.  She  did  admit,  however,  that  one  of 
her  submarines  had  been  in  action  near  the 
place  where  the  Sussex  was  sent  to  the  bottom. 

Eight  days  later  President  Wilson  threatened 
137 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Germany  that  lie  would  break  off  diplomatic 
relations  if  similar  acts  recurred.  Perhaps  be 
cause  she  was  biding  her  time  Germany  on  May 
4th  gave  a  "  promise "  that  no  more  ships 
should  be  sunk  without  warning. 

In  October  of  that  same  year  (1916)  a  German 
submarine  appeared  off  the  New  England  coast. 
Her  officers  put  into  Newport  and  it  is  said 
were  even  graciously  received  and  most  courte 
ously  treated.  Then,  in  return  for  the  hospi 
tality  thus  received,  the  submarine  sank  the 
Stephana,  which  had  a  large  body  of  Americans 
on  board  returning  from  a  vacation  spent  in 
Newfoundland.  Without  doubt  many  would  have 
been  lost  if  American  men-of-war  had  not  been 
at  hand  to  rescue  the  victims  from  the  water. 
Still,  apparently  there  was  not  even  a  thought 
in  the  minds  of  Germany's  rulers,  that  they  had 
violated  any  rules  of  decency,  to  say  nothing 
of  rules  of  right. 

The  patience  of  the  United  States  was  near 
the  breaking  point  when  still  the  dastardly 
deeds  did  not  cease,  and  few  were  surprised 
when  at  last,  January  31,  1917,  Germany  dis- 

138 


COMMAND  OF  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  FRANCE 

covered  that  deceit  no  longer  was  possible  and 
that  the  patience  and  hope  of  America  could  no 
longer  be  abused.  On  that  date  the  German 
leaders  came  out  openly  and  informed  the  Pres 
ident  that  they  planned  to  "begin  an  unre 
stricted  submarine  war."  Three  days  after 
ward  President  Wilson  gave  the  German  am 
bassador  to  the  United  States  his  passports 
and  recalled  the  American  ambassador  (Ge 
rard),  from  Berlin. 

Such  evasion  and  hypocrisy,  such  wanton 
brutality  and  cruelty  as  had  been  displayed  by 
Germany  were  without  parallel  in  history— or 
at  least  since  the  history  of  civilization  began. 
Naturally  a  declaration  of  war  by  the  United 
States  was  the  only  possible  outcome. 

The  unlawful  sinking  of  American  vessels  or 
of  other  vessels  having  Americans  on  board 
makes  up  a  list  that  is  striking  when  it  is  looked 
at  as  a  whole  and  it  is  recalled  that  they  had 
been  sunk  after  Germany  had  "  ruthlessly " 
repudiated  the  pledges  she  had  given. 

Housatonic,  February  3,  1917. 
Lyman  M.  Law,  February  13,  1917. 
139 


THE  STOEY  OF  GENERAL  PEESHING 

Algonquin,  March  2,  1917. 

Vigilancia,  March  16,  1917. 

City  of  Memphis,  March  17,  1917. 

Illinois,  March  17,  1917. 

Healdton,  March  21,  1917   (sunk  outside  the 

" prohibited  zone"  arbitrarily  proclaimed 

by  Germany). 
Aztec,  April  1,  1917. 


Perhaps  in  this  list  should  also  be  included 
the  sinking  of  the  William  P.  Frye,  January 
28,  1915,  by  the  German  raider,  Prinz  Eitel 
Friedrich.  The  very  acme  of  impudence 
seems  to  have  been  reached  when  this  raider, 
after  having  unlawfully  sunk  American  vessels, 
sought  refuge  in  the  American  port  of  Newport 
News,  Virginia.  No  clearer  testimony  has  ever 
been  given  of  the  state  of  mind  among  the  Ger 
mans,  unless  it  is  the  actions  of  the  German 
crew  of  this  vessel  after  they  had  been  interned. 

Preceding  the  declaration  of  war  by  the 
United  States,  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  of 
her  citizens  had  lost  their  lives  by  the  unlawful 
acts  of  German  submarines.  Aumong  those  who 
perished  in  this  manner  were  many  women  and 

140 


COMMAND  OF  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  FRANCE 

children.  In  nearly  every  instance  there  was 
not  even  the  form  of  an  excuse  that  Germany 
was  acting  in  accord  with  the  laws  of  na 
tions.  Outside  the  American  vessels  the 
official  estimate  made  at  that  time  by  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  was  that 
six  hundred  and  sixty-eight  vessels  of  neu 
tral  nations  had  been  sunk  by  the  piratical 
German  submarines.  It  appeared  almost  as 
if  the  rulers  of  Germany  either  were  insane 
or  were  so  bent  on  their  wild  dreams  of 
subduing  the  world  to  their  will  that  they  de 
liberately  said  to  themselves,  "evil,  be  thou 
our  good."  They  had  thrown  down  the  gaunt 
let  to  the  civilized  parts  of  the  entire  world. 
Even  after  Brazil,  China,  Bolivia,  Guatemala 
and  other  nations  broke  off  diplomatic  relations 
with  Germany  and  almost  all  the  civilized  na 
tions  of  the  earth  had  protested  against  the 
brutal  policy  boldly  followed  by  her,  she  whin- 
ingly  complained  that  the  world  was  jealous  of 
her  greatness  and  had  combined  to  overthrow 
the  "kultur"  she  was  so  eager  to  share  with  all 
mankind. 

141 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

In  addition  to  the  frightfulness  of  Germany 
on  the  seas  (a  term  she  herself  had  invented 
and  blatantly  advocated),  the  activity  of  Ger 
man  spies  and  the  dangerous  "  propaganda " 
she  was  putting  forth  in  the  United  States  were 
even  more  insulting  and  quite  as  threatening 
to  American  lives  and  property  as  was  her 
dastardly  work  with  her  submarines.  Many  of 
the  intrigues  were  not  made  known  by  the  Gov 
ernment  of  the  United  States. 

When  the  message  of  President  "Wilson  was 
presented,  the  committee  on  Foreign  Affairs  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  went  on  formal 
record,  after  presenting  its  resolution  declar 
ing  a  state  of  war  to  exist  between  the  United 
States  and  Germany,  that  within  our  country 
at  least  twenty-one  crimes  or  " unfriendly" 
acts  had  been  committed  either  by  the  direc 
tion  of  or  connivance  with  the  Imperial  Ger 
man  Government.  And  nearly  every  one  of 
these  unfriendly  acts  in  itself  was  a  sufficient 
basis  for  war.  Included  in  this  list  were  the 
following  clearly  known  facts: 

An  office  had  been  maintained  in  the  United 

142 


COMMAND  OP  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  FRANCE 

States  to  issue  fraudulent  passports  for  Ger 
man  reservists.  This  work  was  under  the 
direction  of  Captain  von  Papen,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  German  Embassy. 

German  spies  were  sent  to  England  who 
were  supplied  with  passports  from  the  United 
States. 

In  defiance  of  our  laws  steamers  had  been 
sent  from  our  ports  with  supplies  for  German 
sea  raiders. 

Hindus  within  the  United  States  had  been 
supplied  with  money  by  Germany  to  stir  up 
revolutions  and  revolts  in  India. 

A  German  agent  had  been  sent  from  the 
United  States  to  blow  up  with  dynamite  the  in 
ternational  bridge  at  Vanceboro,  Maine. 

Germany  had  provided  funds  for  her  agents 
in  the  United  States  to  blow  up  factories  in 
Canada. 

Five  distinct  conspiracies  had  been  un 
earthed,  in  which  Germany  was  the  guiding 
spirit,  to  make  and  place  bombs  on  ships  leav 
ing  ports  of  the  United  States.  Several  of 
those  conspiracies  were  successful  and  the 

143 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

murderous  bombs  were  placed  even  on  board 
vessels  of  the  United  States.  She  was  work 
ing  to  arouse  and  increase  a  feeling  of  bitter 
ness  in  Mexico  against  the  United  States.  In 
this  way  it  was  hoped  by  Germany  that  we 
would  be  drawn  into  war  with  Mexico,  and 
thereby  be  prevented  from  entering  into  either 
the  Great  War  or  European  affairs. 

Providing  huge  sums  of  money  to  be  used 
in  bribing  newspapers  in  the  United  States  to 
publish  articles  which  should  prevent  America, 
from  entering  the  war  and  arouse  a  feeling  of 
bitterness  against  England  and  France.  Later 
it  was  admitted  by  German  agents  that  a  plan 
had  been  formed  by  which  forty  leading  Ameri 
can  newspapers  were  to  be  purchased  and  used 
for  this  purpose.  The  plan  was  not  wholly  suc 
cessful,  but  many  papers  or  certain  editors 
were  proved  to  have  been  bought  with  this  end 
in  view  and  some  fully  earned  their  money. 

Insult  was  added  to  injury.  Such  colossal 
brutality  was  even  commended  and  upheld  by 
the  friends  of  Germany  and  defended  on  the 
ground  that  the  "fatherland"  had  been  at- 

144 


COMMAND  OF  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  FRANCE 

tacked  treacherously  and  therefore  was  en 
titled,  whether  or  not  she  was  acting  in  accord 
with  established  and  accepted  laws,  to  which 
she  had  given  her  approval,  to  defend  herself 
in  every  possible  way. 

Perhaps  the  climax  of  this  outrageous  dis 
regard  of  decency  came  when  Secretary  Lan 
sing  exposed  March  1,  1917,  the  infamous 
"Zimmerman  note/'  It  was  written  before 
war  had  been  declared,  and,  officially  at  least, 
Germany  and  the  United  States  were  friends 
at  the  time.  Indeed  it  was  only  three  days 
after  the  appearance  of  President  Wilson  be 
fore  the  Senate  with  his  plan  for  a  league  of 
nations  to  secure  and  assure  justice  and  peace 
for  all  nations.  This  infamous  note  was  even 
brought  to  the  United  States  and  was  to  be 
carried  across  the  border  into  Mexico,  a  coun 
try  with  which  we  were  not  at  war  and  with 
which  the  President  was  doing  his  utmost  to 
maintain  peace. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  the  entire  message 
but  the  following  extracts  will  reveal  its  char 
acter  : 

145 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

"  Berlin,  January  19,  1917. 

"On  February  1  we  intend  to  begin  submarine 
war  unrestricted.  In  spite  of  this  it  is  our  intention 
to  keep  neutral  the  United  States  of  America. 

"If  this  attempt  is  not  successful  we  propose  an 
alliance  on  the  following  basis  with  Mexico, — That 
we  shall  make  war  together  and  together  make  peace. 
"We  shall  give  general  financial  support  and  it  is 
understood  that  Mexico  is  to  reconquer  the  lost  ter 
ritory  in  New  Mexico,  Texas  and  Arizona.  The  de 
tails  are  left  to  you  for  settlement.'* 


The  German  Secretary  then  goes  on  to  in 
struct  the  German  Minister  in  Mexico  to  open 
secret  negotiations  with  Carranza  just  as  soon 
as  it  is  plain  that  the  proposed  U-boat  cam 
paign  brings  the  United  States  into  the  war 
and  also  to  get  Carranza  to  draw  Japan  into 
the  proposed  war  against  us. 

Just  how  the  Government  obtained  this  note 
will  not  be  known  until  an  explanation  is  given 
later,  but  its  authorized  publication  by  Secre 
tary  Lansing  instantly  aroused  an  intense  feel 
ing  of  anger  throughout  the  country.  For  a 
"friendly"  nation  to  be  plotting  against  a 
"friend,"  to  attempt  to  use  that  nation  even 

146 


COMMAND  OF  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  FRANCE 

then  as  a  base  of  operations  against  its  peace 
and  security,  to  say  nothing  of  the  plan  to  in 
duce  still  another  friendly  power  to  attack  us, 
outraged  our  every  sense  of  decency  and  jus 
tice.  A  cry  of  anger  and  dismay  was  heard  on 
every  side — except  perhaps  from  certain  pro- 
Germans  who  weakly  protested  that  * '  the  letter 
was  a  palpable  forgery,  too  apparent  to  be 
read  under  any  other  supposition  than  that 
the  German  Secretary  never  wrote  such  a  piece 
of  work/' 

The  dismay  of  these  friends  of  Germany  caii 
only  be  imagined  when  Secretary  Zimmerman 
boldly  acknowledged  that  he  had  written  the 
letter.  He  even  defended  himself  in  doing  so. 
As  if  that  were  not  sufficient,  he  proceeded  to 
complain  because  the  United  States  had  inter 
cepted  the  letter,  for  the  Mexican  President 
had  quickly  declared  his  ignorance  of  any  such 
message.  It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  calm 
assurance  of  Zimmerman  that  he  was  the 
writer  or  his  childish  whining  that  the  United 
States  had  no  right  to  intercept  even  such 
treacherous  messages  if  they  chanced  to  be 

147 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

written  by  Germany,  produced  the  greater  con 
sternation.  The  inability  of  Germany  to  com 
prehend  why  any  nation  should  object  to  any 
thing  Germany  wanted  to  do  or  say  was  itself 
beyond  the  ability  of  a  civilized  people  to  un 
derstand.  It  was  perhaps  the  most  sublime 
impudence  the  world  ever  has  witnessed. 


CHAPTEE  XI 

WHY  AMEEICA  WENT  TO  WAR  WITH  GERMANY 

A  STATE  of  war  had  been  declared  April  5, 
1917,  to  exist  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Imperial  German  Government.  There  is 
no  clearer  or  more  forceful  statement  of  the 
reason  why  we  went  to  war  than  the  address 
delivered  by  President  Wilson  at  Washington 
on  Flag  Day,  June  14,  1917 : 

MY  FELLOW-CITIZENS:  We  meet  to  celebrate  Flag 
Day  because  this  flag  which  we  honor  and  under 
which  we  serve  is  the  emblem  of  our  unity,  our 
power,  our  thought  and  purpose  as  a  nation.  It 
has  no  other  character  than  that  which  we  give  it 
from  generation  to  generation.  The  choices  are  ours. 
It  floats  in  majestic  silence  above  the  hosts  that  exe 
cute  those  choices,  whether  in  peace  or  in  war.  And 
yet,  though  silent,  it  speaks  to  us — speaks  to  us  of 
the  past,  of  the  men  and  women  who  went  before 
us  and  of  the  records  they  wrote  upon  it.  We  cele- 

149 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

brate  the  day  of  its  birth;  and  from  its  birth  until 
now  it  has  witnessed  a  great  history,  has  floated  on 
high  the  symbol  of  great  events,  of  a  great  plan  of 
life  worked  out  by  a  great  people.  "We  are  about 
to  carry  it  into  battle,  to  lift  it  where  it  will  draw 
the  fire  of  our  enemies.  We  are  about  to  bid  thou 
sands,  hundreds  of  thousands,  it  may  be  millions,  of 
our  men,  the  young,  the  strong,  the  capable  men  of 
the  nation,  to  go  forth  and  die  beneath  it  on  fields 
of  blood  far  away — for  what?  For  some  unaccus 
tomed  thing?  For  something  for  which  it  has  never 
sought  the  fire  before?  American  armies  were  never 
before  sent  across  the  seas.  Why  are  they  sent  now? 
For  some  new  purpose,  for  which  this  great  flag 
has  never  been  carried  before,  or  for  some  old, 
familiar,  heroic  purpose  for  which  it  has  seen  men, 
its  own  men,  die  on  every  battlefield  upon  which 
Americans  have  borne  arms  since  the  Revolution? 
These  are  questions  which  must  be  answered.  We 
are  Americans.  We  in  our  turn  serve  America,  and 
can  serve  her  with  no  private  purpose.  We  must 
use  her  flag  as  she  has  always  used  it.  We  are  ac 
countable  at  the  bar  of  history  and  must  plead  in 
utter  frankness  what  purpose  it  is  we  seek  to  serve. 

FORCED  INTO  WAR 

It  is  plain  enough  how  we  were  forced  into  the  war. 
The  extraordinary  insults  and  aggressions  of  the 
Imperial  German  Government  left  us  no  self-respect- 

150 


WHY  AMERICA  WENT  TO  WAR 

ing  choice  but  to  take  up  arms  in  defense  of  our 
rights   as    a   free   people    and   of    our   honor   as   a 
sovereign    Government.      The    military    masters    of 
Germany  denied  us  the  right  to  be  neutral.     They 
filled    our    unsuspecting    communities    with    vicious 
spies    and   conspirators   and   sought   to   corrupt  the 
opinion  of  our  people  in  their  own  behalf.     When 
they  found  that  they  could  not  do  that,  their  agents 
diligently  spread  sedition  among  us  and  sought  to 
draw   our  own   citizens   from  their   allegiance — and 
some  of  those  agents  were  men  connected  with  the 
official   embassy   of   the    German   Government   itself 
here  in  our  own  capital.     They  sought  by  violence 
to  destroy  our  industries  and  arrest  our  commerce. 
They  tried  to  incite  Mexico  to  take  up  arms  against 
us  and  to  draw  Japan  into  a  hostile  alliance  with 
her— and  that,  not  by  indirection,  but  by  direct  sug^ 
gestion   from  the  Foreign   Office  in   Berlin.      They 
impudently  denied  us  the  use  of  the  high  seas  and 
repeatedly    executed   their   threat   that   they    would 
send  to  their  death  any  of  our  people  who  ventured 
to  approach  the  coasts  of  Europe.     And  many  of 
our  own  people  were  corrupted.    Men  began  to  look 
upon  their  own  neighbors  with  suspicion  and  to  won 
der  in  their  hot  resentment  and  surprise  whether 
there  was  any  community  in  which  hostile  intrigue 
did  not  lurk.     What  great  nation  in  such   circum 
stances  would  not  have  taken  up   arms?     Much  as 
we  had  desired  peace,  it  was  denied  us,  and  not  of 
our  own  choice.     This  flag  under  which  we  serve 

151  / 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

would  have  been  dishonored  had  we  withheld  our 
hand. 

But  that  is  only  part  of  the  story.  "We  know  now 
as  clearly  as  we  knew  before  we  were  ourselves  en 
gaged  that  we  are  not  the  enemies  of  the  German 
people  and  that  they  are  not  our  enemies.  They  did 
not  originate  or  desire  this  hideous  war  or  wish  that 
we  should  be  drawn  into  it;  and  we  are  vaguely 
conscious  that  we  are  fighting  their  cause,  as  they 
will  some  day  see  it,  as  well  as  our  own.  They  are 
themselves  in  the  grip  of  the  same  sinister  power 
that  has  now  at  last  stretched  its  ugly  talons  out 
and  drawn  blood  from  us.  The  whole  world  is  at 
war  because  the  whole  world  is  in  the  grip  of  that 
power  and  is  trying  out  the  great  battle  which  shall 
determine  whether  it  is  to  be  brought  under  its 
mastery  or  fling  itself  free. 

THE  MASTERS  OF  GERMANY 

The  war  was  begun  by  the  military  masters  of 
Germany,  who  proved  to  be  also  the  masters  of 
Austria-Hungary.  These  men  have  never  regarded 
nations  as  peoples,  men,  women,  and  children  of  like 
blood  and  frame  as  themselves,  for  whom  Govern 
ments  existed  and  in  whom  Governments  had  their 
life.  They  have  regarded  them  merely  as  service 
able  organizations  which  they  could  by  force  or  in 
trigue  bend  or  corrupt  to  their  own  purpose.  They 
have  regarded  the  smaller  States,  in  particular,  and 
the  peoples  who  could  be  overwhelmed  by  force  as 

152 


WHY  AMERICA  WENT  TO  WAR 

their  natural  tools  and  instruments  of  domination. 
Their  purpose  has  long  been  avowed.     The  states 
men  of   other  nations,  to   whom  that  purpose  was 
incredible,  paid  little  attention;  regarded  what  Ger 
man  professors  expounded  in  their  classrooms  and 
German  writers  set  forth  to  the  world  as  the  goal 
of  German  policy,  as  rather  the  dream  of  minds  de 
tached  from  practical  affairs,  as  preposterous  private 
conceptions  of  German  destiny,  than  as  the  actual 
plans  of  responsible  rulers;  but  the  rulers  of  Ger 
many  themselves  knew  all  the  while  what  concrete 
plans,  what  well-advanced  intrigues  lay  back  of  what 
the  professors  and  the  writers  were  saying,  and  were 
glad  to  go  forward  unmolested,  filling  the  thrones 
of    Balkan    States    with    German    Princes,    putting 
German  officers   at  the  service  of   Turkey  to  drill 
her  armies  and  make  interest  with  her  Government, 
developing  plans  of  sedition  and  rebellion  in  India 
and  Egypt,  setting  their  fires  in  Persia.     The  de 
mands  made  by  Austria  upon  Serbia  were  a  mere 
single  step  in  a  plan  which  compassed  Europe  and 
Asia,  from  Berlin  to  Bagdad.    They  hoped  those  de 
mands  might  not  arouse  Europe,  but  they  meant  to 
press  them  whether  they  did  or  not,  for  they  thought 
themselves  ready  for  the  final  issue  of  arms. 

A  TOOL  OP  GERMANY 

Their  plan  was  to  throw  a  broad  belt  of  German 
military  power  and  political  control  across  the  very 
center  of  Europe  and  beyond  the  Mediterranean  into 

153 


TriE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  heart  of  Asia;  and  Austria-Hungary  was  to  be 
as  much  their  tool  and  pawn  as  Serbia  or  Bulgaria 
or  Turkey  or  the  ponderous  States  of  the  East. 
Austria-Hungary,  indeed,  was  to  become  part  of  the 
Central  German  Empire,  absorbed  and  dominated  by 
the  same  forces  and  influences  that  had  originally 
cemented  the  German  Slates  themselves.  The  dream 
had  its  heart  at  Berlin.  It  could  have  had  a  heart 
nowhere  else!  It  rejected  the  idea  of  solidarity  of 
race  entirely.  The  choice  of  peoples  played  no  part 
in  it  at  all.  It  contemplated  binding  together  racial 
and  political  units  which  could  be  kept  together  only 
by  force — Czechs,  Magyars,  Croats,  Serbs,  Ruman 
ians,  Turks,  Armenians — the  proud  States  of  Bo 
hemia  and  Hungary,  the  stout  little  commonwealths 
of  the  Balkans,  the  indomitable  Turks,  the  subtle 
peoples  of  the  East.  These  peoples  did  not  wish  to 
be  united.  They  ardently  desired  to  direct  their 
own  affairs,  would  be  satisfied  only  by  undisputed 
independence.  They  could  be  kept  quiet  only  by 
the  presence  of  the  constant  threat  of  armed  men. 
They  would  live  under  a  common  power  only  by 
sheer  compulsion  and  await  the  day  of  revolution. 
But  the  German  military  statesmen  had  reckoned 
with  all  that  and  were  ready  to  deal  with  it  in  their 
own  way. 

THE  PRESENT  CONDITION 

And  they  have  actually  carried  the  greater  part 
of   that    amazing   plan    into    execution.      Look   how 

154 


WHY  AMERICA  WENT  TO  WAR 

things  stand.  Austria  is  at  their  mercy.  It  has 
acted,  not  upon  its  own  initiative  nor  upon  the  choice 
of  its  own  people,  but  at  Berlin's  dictation  ever 
since  the  war  began.  Its  people  now  desire  peace, 
but  cannot  have  it  until  leave  is  granted  from  Berlin. 
The  so-called  Central  Powers  are  in  fact  but  a  single 
power.  Serbia  is  at  its  mercy,  should  its  hands  be 
but  for  a  moment  freed;  Bulgaria  has  consented  to 
its  will  and  Rumania  is  overrun.  The  Turkish 
armies,  which  Germans  trained,  are  serving  Germany, 
certainly  not  themselves,  and  the  guns  of  German 
warships  lying  in  the  harbor  at  Constantinople  re 
mind  Turkish  statesmen  every  day  that  they  have 
no  choice  but  to  take  their  orders  from  Berlin. 
From  Hamburg  to  the  Persian  Gulf  the  net  is  spread. 

A  FALSE  CRY  FOR  PEACE 

Is  it  not  easy  to  understand  the  eagerness  for 
peace  that  has  been  manifested  from  Berlin  ever 
since  the  snare  was  set  and  sprung?  Peace,  peaces, 
peace  has  been  the  talk  of  her  Foreign  Office  now 
for  a  year  or  mo^e ;  not  peace  upon  her  own  initiative, 
but  upon  the  initiative  of  the  nations  over  which 
she  now  deems  herself  to  hold  the  advantage.  A 
N  little  of  the  talk  has  been  public,  but  most  of  it  has 
been  private.  Through  all  sorts  of  channels  it  has 
come  to  me,  and  in  all  sorts  of  guises,  but  never 
with  the  terms  disclosed  which  the  German  Govern 
ment  would  be  willing  to  accept.  That  Government 

155 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

has  other  valuable  pawns  in  its  hands  besides  those 
I  have  mentioned.  It  still  holds  a  valuable  part  of 
France,  though  with  slowly  relaxing  grasp,  and  prac 
tically  the  whole  of  Belgium.  Its  armies  press  close 
upon  Russia  and  overrun  Poland  at  their  will.  It 
cannot  go  further;  it  dare  not  go  back.  It  wishes  to 
close  its  bargain  before  it  is  too  late,  and  it  has  little 
left  to  offer  for  the  pound  of  flesh  it  will  demand. 
The  military  masters  under  whom  Germany  is 
bleeding  see  very  clearly  to  what  point  fate  has 
brought  them.  If  they  fall  back  or  are  forced  back 
an  inch  their  power  both  abroad  and  at  home  will 
fall  to  pieces  like  a  house  of  cards.  It  is  their  power 
at  home  they  are  thinking  about  now  more  than  their 
power  abroad.  It  is  that  power  which  is  trembling 
under  their  very  feet;  and  deep  fear  has  entered 
their  hearts.  They  have  but  one  chance  to  perpetuate 
their  military  power  or  even  their  controlling  politi 
cal  influence.  If  they  can  secure  peace  now  with 
the  immense  advantages  still  in  their  hands,  which 
they  have  up  to  this  point  apparently  gained,  they 
will  have  justified  themselves  before  the  German 
people;  they  will  have  gained  by  force  what  they 
promised  to  gain  by  it — an  immense  expansion  of 
German  power,  an  immense  enlargement  of  German 
industrial  and  commercial  opportunities.  Their 
prestige  will  be  secure,  and  with  their  prestige  their 
political  power.  If  they  fail,  their  people  will  thrust 
them  aside;  a  Government  accountable  to  the  people 
themselves  will  be  set  up  in  Germany  as  it  has  been 

156 


WHY  AMERICA  WENT  TO  WAR 

in  England,  in  the  United  States,  in  France,  and  in 
all  the  great  countries  of  the  modern  time  except 
Germany.  If  they  succeed  they  are  safe  and  Ger 
many  and  the  world  are  undone;  if  they  fail  Ger 
many  is  saved  and  the  world  will  be  at  peace.  If 
they  succeed  America  will  fall  within  the  menace. 
We  and  all  the  rest  of  the  world  must  remain  armed, 
as  they  will  remain,  and  must  make  ready  for  the 
next  step  in  their  aggression ;  if  they  fail  the  world 
may  unite  for  peace  and  Germany  may  be  of  the 
union. 

Do  you  not  now  understand  the  new  intrigue,  the 
intrigue  for  peace,  and  why  the  masters  of  Germany 
do  not  hesitate  to  use  any  agency  that  promises  to 
effect  their  purpose,  the  deception  of  the  nations? 
Their  present  particular  aim  is  to  deceive  all  those 
who  throughout  the  world  stand  for  the  rights  of 
peoples  and  the  self-government  of  nations;  for  they 
see  what  immense  strength  the  forces  of  justice  and 
of  liberalism  are  gathering  out  of  this  war. 

PROPAGANDA 

They  are  employing  liberals  in  their  enterprise. 
They  are  using  men,  in  Germany  and  without,  as 
their  spokesmen  whom  they  have  hitherto  despised 
and  oppressed,  using  them  for  their  own  destruction 
— Socialists,  the  leaders  of  labor,  the  thinkers  they 
have  hitherto  sought  to  silence.  Let  them  once  suc 
ceed  and  these  men,  now  their  tools,  will  be  ground 
to  powder  beneath  the  weight  of  the  great  military 

157 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

empire  they  will  have  set  up;  the  revolutionists  in 
Russia  will  be  cut  off  from  all  succor  or  cooperation 
in  Western  Europe  and  a  counter-revolution  fostered 
and  supported ;  Germany  herself  will  lose  her  chance 
of  freedom,  and  all  Europe  will  arm  for  the  next,  the 
final,  struggle. 

The  sinister  intrigue  is  being  no  less  actively  con 
ducted  in  this  country  than  in  Russia  and  in  every 
country  in  Europe  to  which  the  agents  and  dupes 
of  the  Imperial  German  Government  can  get  access. 
That  Government  has  many  spokesmen  here,  in 
places  high  and  low.  They  have  learned  discretion. 
They  keep  within  the  law.  It  is  opinion  they  utter 
now,  not  sedition.  They  proclaim  the  liberal  pur 
poses  of  their  masters;  declare  this  a  foreign  war 
which  can  touch  America  with  no  danger  to  either 
her  lands  or  her  institutions;  set  England  at  the 
center  of  the  stage  and  talk  of  her  ambition  to  assert 
economic  dominion  throughout  the  world;  appeal  to 
our  ancient  tradition  of  isolation  in  the  politics  of 
the  nations,  and  seek  to  undermine  the  Government 
with  false  professions  of  loyalty  to  its  principles. 

But  they  will  make  no  headway.  The  false  betray 
themselves  always  in  every  accent.  It  is  only  friends 
and  partisans  of  the  German  Government  whom  we 
have  already  identified  who  utter  these  thinly  dis 
guised  disloyalties.  The  facts  are  patent  to  all  the 
world,  and  nowhere  are  they  more  plainly  seen  than 
in  the  United  States,  where  we  are  accustomed  to 
deal  with  facts  and  not  with  sophistries:  and  the 

158 


WHY  AMERICA  WENT  TO  WAR 

great  fact  that  stands  out  above  all  the  rest  is  that 
this  is  a  people's  war,  a  war  for  freedom  and  justice 
and  self-government  among  all  the  nations  of  the 
world,  a  war  to  make  the  world  safe  for  the  peoples 
who  live  upon  it  and  have  made  it  their  own,  the 
German  people  themselves  included;  and  that  with 
us  rests  the  choice  to  break  through  all  these  hypoc 
risies  and  patent  cheats  and  masks  of  brute  force 
and  help  set  the  world  free,  or  else  stand  aside  and 
let  it  be  dominated  a  long  age  through  by  sheer 
weight  of  arms  and  the  arbitrary  choices  of  self- 
constituted  masters,  by  the  nation  which  can  main 
tain  the  biggest  armies  and  the  most  irresistible 
armaments — a  power  to  which  the  world  has  afforded 
no  parallel  and  in  the  face  of  which  political  freedom 
must  wither  and  perish. 

For  us  there  is  but  one  choice.  We  have  made  it. 
Woe  be  to  the  man  or  group  of  men  that  seeks  to 
stand  in  our  way  in  this  day  of  high  resolution  when 
every  principle  we  hold  dearest  is  to  be  vindicated 
and  made  secure  for  the  salvation  of  the  nations. 
We  are  ready  to  plead  at  the  bar  of  history,  and  our 
flag  shall  wear  a  new  luster.  Once  more  we  shall 
make  good  with  our  lives  and  fortunes  the  great 
faith  to  which  we  were  born,  and  a  new  glory  shall 
shine  in  the  face  of  our  people. 

The  war  was  now  on.  All  the  latent  power 
\>f  the  nation  of  every  kind  was  to  be  used  in 
every  way  to  help  drive  the  German  menace 

159 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

from  the  world.  A  visit  to  the  new  world  by 
Marshal  Joffre,  Viviani,  Lord  Asquith  and 
others  helped  to  accelerate  matters.  No  one 
will  know  until  the  war  is  ended  just  what  took 
place  in  the  councils  between  these  great  men 
of  the  old  world  and  the  leaders  of  the  new. 

Everyone  does  know,  however,  the  instan 
taneous  activity  and  enthusiasm  which  seized 
with  compelling  force  upon  the  people  of  the 
United  States. 

But  there  must  be  a  military  leader.  What 
was  more  natural  than  that  the  choice  should 
fall  upon  General  John  Joseph  Pershing?  Gen 
eral  Funston  had  died  suddenly  at  San  Antonio, 
Texas,  and  there  was  no  one  now  to  outrank 
the  leader  of  the  punitive  expedition  into 
Mexico. 

So  General  Pershing  was  selected.  The  man 
who  had  feared  he  was  to  be  ignored  and  left 
forgotten  in  the  jungles  of  the  Philippines  was 
now  to  be  the  Commander  of  the  American  Ex 
peditionary  Force  in  France.  Promotion  once 
more  had  come  to  the  man  who  had  sought 
first  to  be  worthy  to  be  promoted. 

160 


CHAPTEE  XII 
IN  ENGLAND  AND  FKANCE 

ON  June  8,  1917,  General  Pershing  with  his 
staff  arrived  (on  the  White  Star  Liner,  Baltic), 
at  Liverpool.  There  was  keen  excitement  in 
the  busy  city  and  a  warm  welcome  for  the 
military  representative  of  the  great  republic 
which  now  was  one  of  the  Allies.  Accompanied 
by  a  guard  of  honor  and  a  military  band  which 
was  playing  the  Star  Spangled  Banner,  a 
British  general  was  waiting  to  pay  due  honor 
to  the  arriving  military  leader.  The  British 
admiral  in  command  at  Liverpool  was  also 
present  to  greet  the  arriving  General,  as  was 
also  the  Lord  Mayor  of  the  city.  The  docks 
and  shops,  the  houses  and  parks  were  filled 
with  a  waiting,  eager  throng  that  was  quiet  in 
its  deep,  tense  feeling. 

161 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

To  the  British  public  General  Pershing  gave 
out  the  following  message: 

"We  are  very  proud  and  glad  to  be  the  standard 
bearers  of  our  country  in  this  great  war  for  civiliza 
tion  and  to  land  on  British  soil.  The  welcome  which 
we  have  received  is  magnificent  and  deeply  appre 
ciated.  We  hope  in  time  to  be  playing  our  part — 
and  we  hope  it  will  be  a  big  part — on  the  western 
front." 

As  soon  as  the  American  Commander  had 
been  suitably  greeted  he  started  for  London 
by  special  train.  The  official  state  car  had  been 
attached  to  the  train  for  the  General's  benefit. 
In  his  swift  ride  through  the  many  busy  cities 
which  remind  one  more  of  American  cities 
than  does  any  other  part  of  England,  through 
the  beautiful  and  carefully  cultivated  rural 
regions,  past  Oxford  with  its  crowning  towers, 
many  hoary  with  age,  the  party  was  taken.  It 
is  only  natural  to  conjecture  what  thoughts 
must  have  been  in  the  mind  of  the  General  at 
the  time.  Was  he  thinking  of  Laclede  and  the 
negro  school  which  he  had  taught?  Or  of  his 
modestly  brave  work  in  Cuba  and  the  Philip- 

162 


IN  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE 

pines?  Or  did  the  statement  he  had  made  to 
a  friend  years  before  when  he  started  for 
West  Point  that  "war  was  no  more  and  a  gun 
would  not  be  fired  in  a  hundred  years,"  again 
come  back  to  him,  when,  seated  in  the  car  of 
state,  he  was  swept  swiftly  toward  London  on 
that  beautiful  and  historic  day  in  June? 

In  London,  United  States  Ambassador  Page, 
Admiral  Sims  of  the  United  States  Navy,  Lord 
Derby,  British  Secretary  of  State  for  War, 
General  Lord  French  and  many  other  leaders 
of  the  British  Army  were  waiting  to  receive 
him.  Throngs  of  people  on  every  side  were 
doing  their  utmost  to  show  that  they  too  as 
well  as  the  representatives  of  their  Govern 
ment,  wanted  to  manifest  their  appreciation  in 
every  possible  way  of  the  coming  of  the  Com 
mander  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Force. 

The  following  day  General  Pershing  was  pre 
sented  formally  to  King  George  V  at  Bucking 
ham  Palace.  General  Lord  Brooke,  com 
mander  of  the  Twelfth  Canadian  Infantry 
Brigade,  as  was  most  fitting,  was  the  spokes 
man.  To  General  Pershing  the  King  said: 

163 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSIIING 

"It  has  been  the  dream  of  my  life  to  see  the  two 
great  English-speaking  nations  more  closely  united. 
My  dreams  have  been  realized.  It  is  with  the  utmost 
pleasure  that  I  welcome  you,  at  the  head  of  the  Ameri 
can  contingent,  to  our  shores." 

His  Majesty  conversed  informally  with  each 
member  of  the  General's  staff  and  talked  with 
the  General  a  longer  time.  His  intense  inter 
est  and  enthusiasm  as  well  as  his  gratitude 
were  manifest  not  only  in  his  spoken  words 
but  also  in  the  cordial  grasp  of  his  hand  when 
they  departed.  It  was  the  representative  of 
one  great  nation  trying  to  express  his  appre 
ciation  to  the  representative  of  another  nation. 

There  were  numerous  formal  calls  and  enter 
tainments  to  follow  and  on  June  llth,  when 
these  all  had  been  duly  done,  General  Pershing 
and  Ambassador  Page  were  entertained  at 
luncheon  by  King  George  and  Queen  Mary,  who 
personally  showed  their  guests  through  the  his 
toric  rooms  and  beautiful  grounds  of  the 
palace.  It  was  not  merely  a  meeting  of  the 
English  king  and  the  American  soldier — it 
was  the  quiet  manifestation  of  the  deep  feel- 

164 


IN  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE 

ing  and  strong  ties  that  now  bound  together 
the  two  great  peoples  they  represented. 

General  Pershing  then  departed  for  the  War 
Office  where  already  members  of  his  staff  had 
been  busily  conferring  with  the  corresponding 
members  of  the  British  Army. 

In  the  afternoon  of  that  busy  day  General 
Pershing  was  taken  as  a  visitor  to  the  House 
of  Commons.  In  the  Distinguished  Visitors 
Gallery  he  sat  watching  the  scene  before  him 
though  he  himself  in  reality  was  the  observed 
of  all  the  observers,  as  perhaps  he  was  made 
aware  a  little  later  when  as  a  guest  of  the 
members  he  "took  tea"  on  the  Terrace. 

In  the  evening  he  was  the  guest  of  Ambas 
sador  Page  at  dinner  when  among  others  he 
met  Premier  Lloyd  George,  Arthur  J.  Balfour, 
Lord  Derby,  Lord  Eobert  Cecil,  Viscount 
French,  Admiral  Sir  John  Jellicoe,  Vice-Ad- 
miral  William  S.  Sims,  TJ.  S.  N.,  and  General 
Jan  Smuts.  It  may  all  have  been  a  part  of  the 
formal  reception  of  a  welcome  visitor,  but  it 
also  was  more,  for  in  this  way  England  and 
America  were  doing  their  utmost  to  express  to 

165 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  world  the  cordial  relations  existing  be 
tween  the  two  great  nations  now  banded  to 
gether  to  fight  a  common  foe. 

There  are  many  formalities  which  have 
grown  to  be  a  part  of  the  reception  of  the 
representative  of  a  foreign  power  by  the  coun 
try  which  receives  him.  In  a  democratic  land, 
like  the  United  States  these  may  appear  to  be 
somewhat  exaggerated,  but  they  have  also  be 
come  the  expression  of  the  desire  to  honor  the 
land  from  which  the  visitor  comes  and  con 
sequently  cannot  be  ignored.  Shaking  hands 
as  an  expression  of  personal  regard  is  doubt 
less  a  somewhat  meaningless  conventionality, 
but  the  man  who  refuses  to  shake  hands  is 
looked  upon  as  a  boor.  Doubtless  General 
Pershing,  whatever  his  simpler  tastes  might 
have  dictated,  was  well  aware  that  behind  all 
the  formal  display  was  the  deep-seated  desire 
to  honor  the  country  whose  personal  repre 
sentative  he  was. 

After  a  visit  to  a  training  camp  to  witness 
the  British  method  of  training  for  fighting  in 
the  trenches,  he  was  the  guest  at  a  luncheon 

166 


IN  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE 

of  Lord  Derby,  the  British  Secretary  of  State 
for  War.  Although  the  day  had  been  strenu 
ous,  nevertheless  in  the  evening  he  and  eigh 
teen  members  of  his  staff  were  the  guests  of 
the  British  Government  at  a  formal  war-din 
ner.  This  dinner  was  served  at  Lancaster 
House,  a  beautiful  building  which  the  Govern 
ment  uses  solely  for  state  entertainment  of 
distinguished  visitors  from  abroad.  Eight 
members  of  the  British  Cabinet  were  among 
the  thirty  present.  The  dinner  was  served  in 
the  magnificiently  furnished  dining-hall.  The 
guests  were  seated  at  six  round  tables,  each 
presided  over  by  one  of  the  distinguished  men 
of  Great  Britain,  the  Prime  Minister  sitting  at 
the  head  of  the  first  table  and  Lord  Curzon, 
Lord  President  of  the  Council ;  the  Eight  Hon 
orable  George  M.  Barnes,  Pensions  Minister; 
Viscount  Milner,  member  of  the  War  Cabinet; 
Earl  of  Derby,  Secretary  for  War  and  Sir 
Alfred  Mond,  presiding  at  the  others. 

The  four  days  of  formal  welcome  in  England 
were  at  last  ended  and  General  Pershing  and 
his  staff  sailed  for  France  where  the  military 

167 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

activities  of  the  United  States  were  to  be  made 
a  part  of  the  common  purpose  to  turn  Germany 
back  from  her  designs. 

In  France,  too,  although  she  is  not  a  king 
dom,  there  were  to  be  certain  formal  cere 
monies  of  recognition.  The  French  people  are 
somewhat  more  demonstrative  than  the  Eng 
lish,  but  behind  it  all  was  the  common  en 
thusiasm  over  the  entrance  of  America  into  the 
Great  War. 

Of  General  Pershing's  reception  at  Boulogne 
we  have  already  learned.*  Before  he  departed 
for  Paris,  however,  he  said  to  the  reporters  of 
the  French  newspapers,  whom  he  received  in 
the  private  car  which  the  French  Government 
had  provided  for  his  use:  "The  reception  we 
have  received  is  of  great  significance.  «It  has 
impressed  us  greatly.  It  means  that  from  the 
present  moment  our  aims  are  the  same." 

To  the  representatives  of  the  American 
press,  whom  he  welcomed  after  he  had  received 
the  French,  he  said:  "America  has  entered 
this  war  with  the  fullest  intention  of  doing  her 

*  See  Chapter  I, 
168 


IN  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE 

share,  no  matter  how  great  or  how  small  that 
share  may  be.    Our  allies  can  depend  on  that." 

Great  crowds  of  enthusiastic  people  from 
streets,  walls,  windows  and  housetops  greeted 
the  American  General  when  the  train  that  was 
bringing  him  entered  the  Gare  du  Nord  at 
Paris.  Cordons  of  "blue  devils "  were  on  the 
platforms  of  the  station  and  dense  lines  of 
troops  patrolled  the  streets  and  guarded  ad 
jacent  blocks  as  the  party  was  escorted  to  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde,  where  General  Pershing 
was  to  make  his  temporary  headquarters  at 
the  Hotel  de  Crillon. 

Bands  were  playing  the  Star  Spangled  Ban 
ner  and  the  Marseillaise,  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  was  waving  in  thousands  of  hands  and 
displayed  from  almost  every  building,  while  a 
steady  shout  like  the  roar  of  the  ocean,  "Vive 
PAmerique!"  greeted  the  party  as  the  auto 
mobiles  in  which  they  were  riding  advanced 
along  the  densely  packed  streets.  It  is  said 
that  General  Pershing  was  "visibly  affected " 
by  the  ovation  into  which  his  welcome  had  been 
turned.  What  a  contrast  it  all  was  to  the  life 

169 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

and  work  in  the  jungles  of  the  Philippines 
where  the  young  officer  had  perhaps  feared  he 
had  been  left  and  forgotten.  And  yet  it  was 
the  faithful,  persistent,  honest  work  done  for 
the  little  Lrown  Moro  people  which  helped  to 
make  the  present  occasion  possible. 

In  the  evening  of  that  day  (June  13th) 
American  Ambassador  Sharp  gave  a  dinner 
in  honor  of  the  coming  of  General  Pershing. 
At  this  dinner  the  chief  officers  of  the  French 
army  and  navy  were  present.  Indeed  in  the 
brief  time  before  General  Pershing  was  to 
assume  his  active  duties  it  almost  seemed  as 
if  the  desire  of  the  French  Government  and 
the  French  people  to  do  honor  to  the  Ameri 
can  commander  would  test  his  powers  of  en 
durance  to  the  uttermost.  There  were  several 
events,  however,  that  stand  out  in  the  fore 
ground  of  those  remarkable  days. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
AT  THE  TOMB  OF  NAPOLEON 

ONE  of  tliese  notable  events  was  the  visit  of 
General  Pershing  to  the  Hotel  des  Invalides  in 
which  is  the  tomb  of  the  most  brilliant  soldier 
of  all  history — Napoleon  Bonaparte.  General 
Galterre  and  General  Niox,  the  latter  in  charge 
of  the  famous  monument,  received  the  Ameri 
can  General  and  his  staff  when  they  arrived  at 
the  marvelous  building. 

An  interesting  incident  that  was  reported  as 
having  occurred  directly  after  the  entrance  of 
the  party  was  the  spontaneous  action  of  General 
Pershing,  when  his  party  met  some  of  the  aged 
veterans  of  the  former  wars  of  the  French.  Im 
pulsively  stopping  when  he  was  saluted  by  a 
bent  and  aged  soldier  who  had  seen  service  in 
the  Crimean  War,  General  Pershing  shook  the 

171 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

old  soldier  by  his  hand  as  he  said,  "It  is  a  great 
honor  for  a  young  soldier  like  myself  to  press 
the  hand  of  an  old  soldier  like  yourself  who 
has  seen  such  glorious  service."  This  natural 
and  impulsive  action  by  the  American  is  said 
to  have  deeply  touched  not  only  the  Crimean 
veteran,  but  also  all  who  saw  it  and  even  more 
those  who  later  heard  of  it,  for  the  simple  act 
was  soon  a  topic  of  conversation  among  the 
already  deeply  enthused  people  of  Paris. 

The  American  soldiers  were  conducted  first 
to  the  great  rotunda  where  one  can  stand,  and, 
looking  down,  see  the  tomb  of  Napoleon  resting 
in  eloquent  silence  in  the  sarcophagus  beneath. 
But  the  Commander  of  the  American  Expe 
ditionary  forces  was  to  have  a  still  more  dis 
tinctive  honor — he  was  to  be  taken  into  the 
crypt  itself.  How  much  of  an  honor  the  French 
consider  this  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that 
in  addition  to  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe 
that  had  been  admitted  there,  Ex-President 
Theodore  Eoosevelt  is  the  only  other  American 
previously  taken  to  this  spot.  It  was  also  a  part 
of  the  directions  which  Napoleon  himself  had 

172 


AT  THE  TOMB  OF  NAPOLEON 

left  that  only  a  Marshal  of  France  was  to  re 
main  uncovered  in  the  presence  of  the  Little 
Corporal  of  Corsica. 

Naturally  the  American  soldiers  followed 
this  precedent  and  it  was  Marshal  Joffre  him 
self  who  led  them  to  the  crypt.  The  door  is 
immense  and  heavy,  and  made  of  brass.  Just 
before  the  great  key  was  inserted  in  the  lock 
and  the  massive  door  was  slowly  to  swing  open, 
Marshal  Joffre  and  General  Niox  left  General 
Pershing  alone  before  it.  Those  who  saw  him 
report  that  General  Pershing  drew  a  deep 
breath  and  then  without  confusion  or  delay 
quickly  turned  the  key  in  the  lock  of  the  great 
brass  door. 

In  a  small  alcove  within  the  crypt  was  the 
case  which  held  Napoleon's  sword.  General 
Niox  quietly  unlocked  this  case  and  took  out 
the  famous  sword  and  kissed  it.  Then  he  ex 
tended  the  sword  to  the  American  soldier. 
General  Pershing  received  the  weapon,  for  an 
instant  held  it  at  salute  and  then  he  too  kissed 
the  hilt.  One  cannot  help  wondering  whether 
the  impressive  moment  suggested  to  the  General 

173 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  mighty  contrast  between  the  aims  of  Napo 
leon  and  those  which  were  guiding  the  United 
States  in  the  desperate  war  in  which  she  now 
was  to  share.  Brilliant  as  Napoleon  was,  mighty 
strategist  and  soldier  that  he  proved  himself 
to  be,  it  is  difficult  even  for  his  wrarmest  ad 
mirers  to  defend  the  principles  (or  explain  the 
lack  of  them)  that  controlled  him  in  his  cam 
paigns.  On  the  other  hand,  Pershing  was  the 
representative  of  a  nation  which  was  to  fight 
with  its  utmost  power — not  for  conquest  nor  to 
overthrow  its  rivals.  Vast  sums  were  to  be  ex 
pended,  millions  of  men  were  to  respond  to  the 
call  to  the  colors — for  what?  "To  make  the 
world  a  decent  place  to  live  in."  The  living 
and  the  dead  met  in  the  crypt  of  the  Hotel  des 
Invalides,  but  the  aims  that  animated  the  two 
men — one  in  the  early  days  of  the  preceding 
century,  and  the  other  in  the  year  1917 — were 
as  far  removed  from  each  other  as  the  East  is 
from  the  West. 

A  ceremony  like  that  with  which  Napoleon's 
sword  had  been  extended  to  General  Pershing 
was  also  followed  in  the  case  of  the  cross  of 

174 


AT  THE  TOMB  OF  NAPOLEON 

the  Legion  of  Honor,  the  visitor  holding  it  to 
his  lips  a  moment  and  then  passing  it  back  to 
General  Niox.  A  correspondent  writing  of  the 
occasion  says :  '  '  This  was  the  most  signal  honor 
France  ever  bestowed  upon  any  man.  Before 
this  occasion  not  even  a  Frenchman  was  per 
mitted  to  hold  the  sacred  relics  in  his  hands. 
Kings  and  princes  have  been  taken  to  the  crypt 
that  holds  the  body  of  the  great  Emperor,  but 
they  only  viewed  the  sword  and  cross  through 
the  plate  glass  of  the  case  in  which  they  rested. 
The  relics  had  not  been  touched  since  the  time 
of  Louis  Philippe." 

Next  folloAved  a  formal  call  upon  the  Ameri 
can  ambassador  and  then  with  lines  of  soldiers 
and  the  music  of  many  military  bands  he  was 
escorted  to  Elysee  Palace,  where  formally  he 
was  to  be  presented  to  President  Poincare. 
Still  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people  endeavored 
to  find  expression.  Flags  and  cheers  were  on 
every  side.  Flowers  were  cast  upon  the  slowly 
advancing  procession  and  there  were  many 
eager  watchers,  young  and  old  alike,  down 
whose  cheeks  unchecked  tears  were  falling.  The 

175 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

occasion  was  formal  and  stately,  but  its  neces 
sary  formalities  were  not  able  to  repress  the 
deep  emotions  of  the  brave  and  valiant  people. 

Instead  of  the  enthusiasm  dying  away  it 
almost  seemed  as  if  it  had  increased  in  volume 
when  General  Pershing  entered  the  diplomatic 
box  that  afternoon  in  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 
Premier  Ribot  was  addressing  the  body  when 
the  General  quietly  and  without  any  ostentation 
took  the  seat  assigned  him. 

Speedily,  however,  the  arrival  of  the  Ameri 
can  General  became  known  in  the  chamber.  The 
deputies  leaped  to  their  feet  and  cheered  and 
then  remained  standing  and  continued  their 
cheering.  General  Pershing  was  at  last  com 
pelled  to  rise  and  bow  to  the  assembly  in 
acknowledgment  of  the  remarkable  greeting 
which  he  had  received.  Then  the  packed  gal 
leries  took  up  the  same  theme.  "Vive  PAme- 
rique!"  resounded  loud  and  long  and  then  was 
repeated  again  and  again,  as  if  the  grateful 
spectators  were  fearful  lest  their  former  at 
tempts  to  express  their  feelings  had  not  been 
adequate.  And  all  this  applause  was  against 

1761 


AT  THE  TOMB  OF  NAPOLEON 

every  tradition  and  custom  of  the  dignified 
Chamber  of  Deputies. 

At  last  it  was  possible  for  the  Premier  to  con 
tinue  his  address,  but  no  longer  was  he  speak 
ing  of  Greece,  as  he  had  been  when  the  Ameri 
cans  had  entered,  he  now  was  doing  his  utmost 
to  portray  the  might  and  the  unselfish  devotion 
of  the  nation  across  the  sea  whose  leading  sol 
dier  was  now  not  only  with  them  in  soul,  but 
also  in  body.  He  closed  his  eloquent  address 
by  quoting  the  words  of  President  Wilson, 
"The  day  has  come  to  conquer  or  submit.  We 
will  not  submit;  we  will  vanquish." 

M.  Viviani,  who  recently  had  visited  the 
United  States,  was  the  speaker  to  follow  the 
Premier.  Eloquent,  earnest,  devoted — there  is 
no  one  to  whose  words  the  Chamber  usually  is 
more  willing  to  listen.  Viviani  at  this  time  also 
spoke  of  the  United  States — its  people,  its  Pres 
ident,  its  Army  and  its  help,  enlarging  particu 
larly  on  the  principles  for  which  both  France 
and  America  were  fighting. 

When  the  eloquent  speaker  ended  his  address, 
almost  as  if  the  impulse  had  been  kept  too  long 

177 


THE  STOEY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

under  control,  the  Deputies  again  rose  and 
cheered  and  continued  their  cheering  for  Gen 
eral  Pershing,  until  at  last  once  more  he  was 
compelled  to  rise  and  bow  in  his  acknowledg 
ment  of  the  remarkable  ovation  he  had  re 
ceived.  And  the  cheers  continued  after  he  had 
gone. 

Before  the  people  of  Paris,  Joffre  and  Per 
shing  stood  together,  each  bare-headed,  on  the 
morning  of  June  15th.  They  were  on  the  bal 
cony  of  the  Military  Club.  In  the  Place  de 
1'Opera  was  a  crowd  assembled  to  do  honor  to 
the  two  military  leaders— a  public  reception 
by  the  city.  The  wild  cheering  rose  in  waves. 
The  excitement  was  intense.  The  hopes  of  the 
people,  who,  as  one  distinguished  Frenchman 
said,  "had  surprised  not  only  the  wrorld,  but 
also  their  own  nation  by  their  bravery,  deter 
mination  and  heroic  endurance/ '  were  now 
keyed  to  the  highest  pitch.  America  was  com 
ing.  Nay,  America  is  here  in  the  person  of  its 
commander,  whose  Alsatian  ancestors  years 
before  had  found  a  home  in  America.  Surely 
the  peoples  were  indeed  one.  "Vive  PAme- 

178 


AT  THE  TOMB  OF  NAPOLEON 

rique!"  "Vive  Joffre!"  "Vive  Pershing!" 
It  almost  seemed  as  if  the  cheering  would  never 
stop. 

A  correspondent  describes  what  occurred  in 
a  momentary  lull  in  the  tumult.  A  young  girl, 
excited,  ardent,  patriotic,  in  a  clear  call,  was 
distinctly  heard  above  the  cries  of  the  vast 
assembly  as  she  shouted,  "Vive  Joffre,  who 
saved  us  from  defeat!  Vive  Pershing,  who 
brings  us  victory!" 

Instantly  the  crowd  responded  and  for  a 
moment  it  seemed  as  if  the  excitement  would 
break  all  bounds.  The  applause  became  deaf 
ening.  The  vast  assemblage  took  up  the  mov 
ing  words  of  the  unknown  young  girl.  "Vive 
Joffre!"  "Vive  Pershing!"  rose  in  a  wild  cry 
of  joy  and  hope.  Indeed,  long  after  the  two 
soldiers  had  withdrawn  and  the  balcony  of  the 
Military  Club  was  no  longer  occupied,  the  en 
thusiastic  crowd  refused  to  depart  and  the 
streets  still  resounded  with  "Vive  Joffre!" 
"Vive  Pershing!"  Pleased  General  Pershing 
must  have  been  by  the  wild  demonstration  of 
the  affection  and  hope,  and  yet  he  must  also 

179 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

have  been  made  intensely  serious  by  the  appeal 
of  two  great  peoples  to  lead  them  to  a  victory 
that  should  forever  put  an  end  to  the  savagery 
and  the  cruelty  which  the  German  nation, 
wherever  it  touched  the  world  through  its 
army,  was  manifesting  as  the  controlling  mo 
tive  in  its  life. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
A  WREATH  FOB  THE  TOMB  OF  LAFAYETTE 

THE  official  calls  and  the  ceremonies  that 
were  designed  both  to  recognize  formally  the 
full  meaning  of  the  entrance  of  the  United 
States  into  the  world  war  and  to  arouse  a 
fresh  enthusiasm  in  the  French  people  were 
almost  at  an  end.  General  Pershing  announced 
that  on  the  following  day  he  intended  to  be 
gin  the  work  for  which  he  had  come.  Already 
the  headquarters  of  the  American  Army  had 
been  established  at  the  Eue  de  Constantin  and 
the  work  there  was  in  full  operation. 

However,  there  were  two  other  visits  which 
the  American  commander  desired  to  make 
while  he  was  in  Paris.  In  Picpus  Cemetery, 
Paris,  was  the  tomb  of  Lafayette.  The  friend 
ship  of  the  young  marquis,  his  enthusiasm  for 

181 


THE  STORY  OP  GENERAL  PERSHING 

the  ideals  of  democracy  and  the  aid  he  had 
given  the  colonies  in  America  in  their  strug 
gles  for  independence  nearly  a  century  and  a 
half  before  this  time,  had  made  his  name  as 
familiar  as  it  was  beloved  in  the  United  States. 
He  had  been  the  personal  friend  of  Washing 
ton,  his  visit  to  America  after  the  new  nation 
had  been  formed,  his  gifts  and  his  example 
alike  had  added  to  the  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  there.  As  Lafayette  had  come  from 
France  to  help  America  so  now  Pershing  had 
come  from  America  to  help  France.  What 
could  be  more  fitting  than  for  the  American 
commander  to  manifest  publicly  the  memories 
of  the  deep  appreciation  which  clustered  about 
the  name  of  Lafayette? 

Accordingly  General  Pershing  and  a  half- 
dozen  of  his  officers  were  taken  to  the  tomb  in 
Picpus  Cemetery.  There  the  little  party  was 
met  by  the  Marquis  and  the  Count  de  Cham- 
brun  who  are  direct  descendants  of  Lafayette. 
Two  orderlies  carried  a  wreath  of  American 
Beauty  roses  which  was  to  be  placed  on  the 
tomb  of  the  ardent  young  Frenchman.  There 

182 


A  WREATH  FOE  TOMB  OF  LAFAYETTE 

were  no  formal  or  public  services— the  occa 
sion  being  more  like  a  token  of  the  personal 
feelings  of  the  representative  of  one  great  na 
tion  for  the  honored  dead  who  had  been  the 
representative  of  another.  The  oft  quoted  re 
mark  of  General  Pershing,  "Lafayette,  we  are 
here/'  added  to  the  impressiveness. 

General  Pershing  was  welcomed  at  the  ceme 
tery  quietly  by  the  two  descendants  of  Lafay 
ette  and  by  them  was  conducted  to  the  tomb. 
The  General  and  his  fellow  officers  stood  at 
salute  while  the  orderlies  were  placing  the 
wreath  of  roses  on  the  marble  slab  that  marked 
the  final  resting  place  of  the  brave  and  bril 
liant  young  French  soldier. 

In  spite  of  the  simplicity  of  the  beautiful 
ceremony,  however,  the  enthusiastic  people  of 
Paris  felt  that  somehow  they  must  express 
their  appreciation  of  the  tender  and  dignified 
tribute  to  one  of  their  honored  dead.  Great 
throngs  lined  the  streets  through  which  the 
party  passed,  while  a  vast  concourse  assem 
bled  in  the  vicinity  of  Piopus  Cemetery.  Their 
quickly  aroused  sentiments  had  been  deeply 

183 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

stirred.  A  glimpse  of  the  passing  American 
General  was  sufficient  to  deepen  this  appeal 
and  the  cheers  that  greeted  the  Americans  were 
fervent  and  heartfelt. 

The  third  day  was  to  be  the  last  of  the 
formal  ceremonies.  General  Pershing  paid  the 
formal  and  official  calls  expected  of  him,  had 
luncheon  with  Marshal  Joffre  and  then  visited 
the  French  Senate.  As  soon  as  he  and  Am 
bassador  Sharp  were  discovered  in  the  diplo 
matic  box,  every  senator  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  the  cheering  was  loud  and  long — "Vive 
PAmerique!"  "Vive  ITershing!"  It  almost 
seemed  as  if  the  dignified  senators  were  de 
termined  to  make  their  salvos  louder  and  more 
genuinely  enthusiastic  than  any  that  had  yet 
been  heard  by  the  distinguished  visitor.  Again 
and  again  General  Pershing  bowed  in  ac 
knowledgment  of  his  generous  reception. 

At  last  when  the  senators  once  more  took 
their  seats,  Premier  Eibot  referred  to  the 
presence  of  the  soldier  from  the  United  States 
and  called  upon  M.  Viviani  to  speak  in  ac 
knowledgment  of  the  event.  Eloquent  as 

184 


A  WREATH  FOR  TOMB  OF  LAFAYETTE 

Viviani  is  known  to  be,  it  is  said  that  never 
had  his  words  been  more  expressive  or  appeal 
ing  than  on  this  momentous  occasion.    Repeat 
edly  he  was  compelled  to  pause  and  wait  for 
the  applause  to  cease  before  he  was  able  to 
continue  his  address.     In  his  final  words  he 
referred  to  his  own  recent  visit  to  the  United 
States  and  in  vivid  phrases  pictured  the  con 
ditions  as  he  had  found  them  there.    The  ideals 
of  civilization,  the  rights  of  free  peoples,  the 
heritage  received  from  sires  who  had  dearly 
paid    for   that   which   they   bequeathed   their 
children    were    to    be    defended    and    upheld. 
Savagery,  brutality,  disregard  for  national  and 
individual  rights  were  to  be  overthrown.    Be 
cause  of  the  ideals  under  which  the  United 
States  had  been  reared  and  the  freedom  the 
nation  had  enjoyed  the  people  were  determined 
to  share  in  the  battle  for  the  same  privileges 
to  be  enjoyed  by  all  mankind. 

The  response  of  the  audience  was  instan 
taneous.  Leaping  to  their  feet  they  shouted, 
"Vivent  les  Etats  Unis!"  "Vive  1'Ame- 
rique!"  "Vive  PPershing!"  Not  until  after 

185 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

General  Pershing  once  more  arose  and  again 
and  again  bowed  in  acknowledgment  of  the 
soul  stirring  tribute  to  him,  and  through  him 
to  the  nation  of  which  he  was  a  part,  was  quiet 
restored.  Even  then  the  Senate  unanimously 
voted  a  recess  of  a  half-hour  to  permit  the 
Senators  personally  to  meet  and  greet  the 
American  Commander.  Antonin  Dubost,  Presi 
dent  of  the  Senate,  escorted  General  Pershing 
Uirough  the  imposing  lobby  of  the  Luxem 
bourg  and  introduced  him  to  the  members  of 
the  Senate,  one  by  one.  The  occasion  served 
as  a  fitting  climax  to  three  such  days  as  Gen 
eral  Pershing  never  before  had  seen  and  the 
world  never  had  known. 

Of  Pershing 's  coming  to  France  and  of  his 
gracious,  quiet  manner  of  receiving  the  wel 
come  of  Paris,  and  his  dignity  that  fitted  every 
occasion,  the  Paris  newspapers,  made  much. 
The  outstanding  quality,  however,  appeared 
to  be  his  simplicity.  Georges  Clemenceau  wrote 
the  following  tribute  when  the  three  days  of 
welcome  passed: 

"  Paris    has    given   its   final   welcome   to    General 
186 


A  WREATH  FOR  TOMB  OF  LAFAYETTE 

Pershing.  We  are  justified  in  hoping  that  the  ac 
clamations  of  our  fellow-citizens,  with  whom  are 
mingled  crowds  of  soldiers  on  leave,  have  shown  him 
clearly  right  at  the  start  in  what  spirit  we  are  wag 
ing  this  bloodiest  of  wars:  with  what  invincible  de 
termination  never  to  falter  in  any  fiber  of  our  nerves 
or  muscles. 

"What  does  France  stand  for  to-day  but  the  most 
striking  proof  of  the  perseverance  of  the  French 
spirit?  I  can  even  say  that  never  was  such  a  pro 
longation  of  such  terrible  sacrifices  demanded  from 
our  people  and  never  was  it  so  simply  and  so  easily 
obtained. 

"Unless  I  misjudge  America,  General  Pershing, 
fully  conscious  of  the  importance  of  his  mission,  has 
received  from  the  cordial  and  joyous  enthusiasm  of 
the  Parisians  that  kind  of  fraternal  encouragement, 
which  is  never  superfluous,  even  when  one  needs  it 
not.  Let  him  have  no  doubt  that  he,  too,  has  brought 
encouragement  to  us,  the  whole  of  France  that  fol 
lowed  with  its  eyes  his  passage  along  the  boulevards, 
all  our  hearts,  that  salute  his  coming  in  joy  at  the 
supreme  grandeur  of  America's  might  enrolled  under 
the  standard  of  right.  This  idea  M.  Viviani,  just 
back  from  America,  splendidly  developed  in  his  elo 
quent  speech  to  the  Chamber  in  the  presence  of  Gen 
eral  Pershing. 

'  *  General  Pershing  himself,  less  dramatic,  has  given 
us  in  three  phrases  devoid  of  artificiality  an  impres- 
gion  of  exceptionally  virile  force.  It  was  no  rhetoric, 

187 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

but  the  pure  simplicity  of  the  soldier  who  is  here  to 
act  and  who  fears  to  promise  more  than  he  will  per 
form.  No  bad  sign  this  for  those  of  us  who  have 
grown  weary  of  pompous  words,  when  we  must  pay 
so  dearly  for  each  failure  of  performance. 

"Not  long  ago  the  Germans  laughed  at  'the  con 
temptible  English  army'  and  we  hear  now  that  they 
regard  the  American  army  as  too  ridiculous  for 
words.  Well,  the  British  have  taught  even  Hinden- 
burg  himself  what  virile  force  can  do  toward  filling 
gaps  in  organization.  Now  the  arrival  of  Pershing 
brings  Hindenburg  news  that  the  Americans  are  set 
ting  to  work  in  their  turn — those  Americans  whose 
performance  in  the  war  of  secession  showed  them 
capable  of  such  'improvisation'  of  war  as  the  world 
has  never  seen — and  I  think  the  Kaiser  must  be  be 
ginning  to  wonder  whether  he  has  not  trusted  rather 
blindly  in  his  'German  tribal  god.'  He  has  loosed 
the  lion  from  its  cage,  and  now  finds  that  the  lion 
has  teeth  and  claws  to  rend  him. 

' '  The  Kaiser  had  given  us  but  a  few  weeks  in  which 
to  realize  that  the  success  of  his  submarine  campaign 
would  impose  the  silence  of  terror  on  the  human  con 
science  throughout  the  world.  "Well,  painful  as  he 
must  find  it,  Pershing 's  arrival  in  Paris,  with  its 
consequent  military  action,  cannot  fail  to  prove  to 
him  that,  after  all,  the  moral  forces  he  ignored  must 
always  be  taken  into  consideration  in  forecasting 
human  probabilities.  Those  learned  Boches  have  yet 
to  understand  that  in  the  course  of  his  intellectual 

188 


A  WREATH  FOR  TOMB  OF  LAFAYETTE 

evolution  man  has  achieved  the  setting  of  moral  right 
above  brute  force;  that  might  is  taking  its  stand  be 
side  right  to  accomplish  the  greatest  revolution  in  the 
history  of  mankind. 

"That  is  the  lesson  Pershing's  coming  has  taught 
us,  and  that  is  why  we  rejoice." 

Another  graceful  tribute  was  that  of 
Maurice  de  Waleffe  who  wrote: 

"  'There  is  no  longer  any  Pyrenees/  said  Louis 
XIV  when  he  married  a  Spanish  princess.  'There 
is  no  longer  an  ocean/  Pershing  might  say  with 
greater  justice  as  he  is  about  to  mingle  with  ours 
the  democratic  blood  of  his  soldiers.  The  fusion  of 
Europe  and  America  is  the  enormous  fact  to  note. 
Henceforth  there  is  but  one  human  race,  in  the  Old 
World  as  in  the  New,  and  we  can  repeat  the  words 
of  Goethe  at  the  battle  of  Valmy:  'From  to-day  a 
new  order  of  things  begins.'  ' 

In  the  evening  after  his  first  day  of  work,  at 
the  opera  the  enthusiasm  of  Paris  found  one 
more  outlet  for  its  admiration  of  the  Ameri 
can  General  whose  physical  strength  and  bear 
ing,  whose  poise  and  kindly  appreciation  of  his 
welcome  again  found  expression.  The  General 
arrived  at  the  close  of  the  first  act.  It  was 
now  the  turn  for  the  society  of  Paris  to  ex 
press  itself.  The  wildest  enthusiasm  instantly 

189 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

seized  upon  the  audience  as  soon  as  his  ar 
rival  became  known.  As  he  entered  his  box, 
which  was  draped  with  the  American  colors, 
the  orchestra  quickly  struck  up  the  national 
anthem,  for  the  moment  drowning  even  the 
wild  cheering  of  the  crowded  house.  The  cur 
tain  rose  and  Mme.  Eichardson,  holding  aloft 
a  large  American  flag  as  she  advanced  to  the 
front  of  the  stage,  began  in  English  to  sing 
the  Star  Spangled  Banner.  After  each  stanza 
the  wild  cheering  seemed  to  increase  in  volume 
and  enthusiasm.  Then  Mile.  Marthe  Chenal 
followed  and  began  to  sing  La  Marseillaise. 
It  was  now  the  turn  of  the  American  officers 
and  soldiers  present  to  cheer  for  France;  and 
cheer  they  did.  A  chorus  of  soldiers  and 
sailors  accompanied  each  singer.  When  Gen 
eral  Pershing  departed  from  the  opera  house 
the  throngs  assembled  on  the  streets  joined  in 
another  outburst.  By  this  time  even  the  slow 
est  of  Americans  must  have  been  fully  aware 
that  the  French  were  glad  that  the  commander 
of  the  Army  of  the  United  States  was  in  Paris. 
The  new  problem  confronting  the  American 
190 


A  WREATH  FOR  TOMB  OF  LAFAYETTE 

General   was    stupendous.     His    recommenda 
tions  were  to  be  final  at  Washington.    In  Ms 
duties    he    was    to    have    the    assistance    of 
Marshal  Joffre,  whose  ability  as  a  soldier  and 
whose  position  as  the  official  representative  of 
France    would   mean   much   to    General    Per- 
shing.    The  British  War  Office  (May  28,  1917) 
had  said  that  including  those  already  serving 
in    French    or    British    armies    there    shortly 
would  be  100,000  American  soldiers  on  French 
soil.    Within  a  year  the  number  was  to  exceed 
1,000,000  and  hundreds  of  thousands  more  were 
to  follow.    No  such  numbers  or  speed  in  trans 
porting    troops    3,500    miles    had    ever    been 
known  before.    And  in  France  plans  must  be 
formed,   organizations   made,   great  buildings 
must  be  erected,  military  measures  must  be 
adopted— and  General  John  Joseph  Pershing 
must  be  the  directing  power.     What  a  task! 
Small  cause  for  surprise  is  it  that  he  solemnly 
said  to  a  prominent  clergyman  before  his  de 
parture  from  America  that  he  "felt  the  need 
of  all  the  help  that  could  be  given  him,-— human 
and  divine." 

191 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Already  in  France  Americans  were  drilling 
in  preparation  for  active  fighting.  Among 
these  were  detachments  of  college  students 
from  Harvard,  Princeton,  Yale,  University  of 
Chicago,  Williams,  University  of  California, 
and  many  other  American  colleges,  but  a  vast 
concourse  of  men  from  every  class  and  con 
dition  in  life  in  the  United  States  was  making 
ready  to  join  their  fellow  soldiers  across  the 
sea.  From  no  man  in  all  the  world  was  more 
expected  than  from  General  Pershing.  And 
the  expectations  were  resting  on  strong 
foundations  if  the  manner  in  which  he  carried 
himself  in  the  four  trying  days  in  London  and 
in  the  three  days  of  formal  ceremonies  in 
France  and  then  in  the  beginnings  'of  his  heavy 
labors  in  preparing  for  the  demands  of 
Americans  who  were  yet  to  come,  were  indi 
cations.  By  many  he  was  declared  to  be  the 
personification  of  the  best  type  West  Point 
could  produce. 


CHAPTER  XV 

FOURTH  OF  JULY  IN  FRANCE  AND  BASTILE  DAY 
IN  AMERICA 

THE  manifestation  of  the  feeling  of  France 
and  England  for  the  United  States  as  shown 
to  General  Pershing  was  still  further  in  evi 
dence  when  the  national  holiday  of  each  na 
tion  was  celebrated.  In  this  celebration  all 
three  nations  united.  "Never  did  I  expect  to 
see  a  day  like  the  Fourth  of  July  this  year  in 
London/'  wrote  an  American  stopping  in  that 
city.  "The  flag  of  the  United  States  was 
everywhere  in  evidence.  I  don't  think  Great 
Britain  ever  saw  so  many  American  flags  at 
one  time.  The  streets  almost  seemed  to  be 
lined  with  them.  They  were  hanging  from 
windows,  stretched  across  the  streets  and  side 
walks,  carried  in  the  hands  of  the  passing 

193 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

people  and  everywhere  were  in  evidence. 
Band^  were  playing  the  Star  Spangled  Ban 
ner,  public  meetings  were  held,  addresses 
were  made  and  dinners  given — all  showing 
that  the  new  feeling  between  the  countries  was 
not  only  friendly  but  also  most  intensely 
cordial.  From  the  King  and  Queen  to  the 
humblest  newsboy  the  enthusiasm  was  every 
where  to  be  seen."  And  what  was  true  in 
London  wras  true  also  throughout  the  kingdom. 
From  the  front  General  Pershing  received 
the  following  telegram: 


"DEAR  GEN.  PERSHING:  In  behalf  of  myself  and 
the  whole  army  in  France  and  Flanders  I  beg  you 
to  accept  for  yourself  and  the  troops  of  your  com 
mand  my  warmest  greetings  on  American  Inde 
pendence  Day. 

"Fourth  of  July  this  year  soldiers  of  America, 
France  and  Great  Britain  will  spend  side  by  side 
for  the  first  time  in  history  in  defense  of  the  great 
principle  of  liberty,  which  is  the  proudest  inheritance 
and  the  most  cherished  possession  of  their  several 
nations. 

"That  liberty  which  the  British,  Americans  and 
French  won  for  themselves  they  will  not  fail  to  hold 

194 


FOURTH  OF  JULY  IN  FRANCE 

not  only  for  themselves  but  for  the  world.    With  the 

heartiest  good  wishes  for  you  and  your  gallant  army, 

"Yours  very  sincerely, 

"D.  HAIG, 
"  Field  Marshal." 

To  this  hearty  message  of  congratulation 
and  good  will  General  Pershing  sent  the  fol 
lowing  response  to  the  Commander  in  Chief 
of  the  British  Army  in  France  and  Flanders: 


DEAR  SIR  DOUGLAS:  Independence  Day  greet 
ings  from  the  British  armies  in  France,  extended  by 
its  distinguished  Commander  in  Chief,  are  most 
deeply  appreciated  by  all  ranks  of  the  American 
forces.  The  firm  unity  of  purpose  that  on  the  Fourth 
of  July  this  year  so  strongly  binds  the  great  allied 
nations  together  stands  as  a  new  declaration  and  a 
new  guarantee  that  the  sacred  principles  of  liberty 
shall  not  perish  but  shall  be  extended  to  all  peoples. 
"With  the  most  earnest  good  wishes  from  myself 
and  entire  command  to  you  and  our  brave  British 
brothers  in  arms,  I  remain,  always  in  great  respect 
and  high  esteem, 

"Yours  very  sincerely, 

"JOHN  J.  PERSHING." 

In  Paris  also  the  celebration  was  an  evidence 
of    the    same    or    even    greater    enthusiasm. 

195 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

Flags,  bands,  cheers,  songs,  public  meetings 
and  addresses — these  all  were  like  a  repeti 
tion  of  the  scenes  that  had  greeted  the  arrival 
of  the  American  commander  on  the  soil  of 
Prance.  Once  more  General  Pershing  was  the 
idol  of  the  day,  because  in  this  way  the  French 
people  best  believed  they  could  express  their 
deep  appreciation  of  the  part  America  was 
promptly  taking  in  the  fight  for  freedom. 

The  response  of  America  was  equally  strong 
when  ten  days  later  the  great  country,  more 
than  3,000  miles  away,  joined  in  a  hearty  cele 
bration  of  the  French  national  holiday — 
Bastile  Day.  As  Lafayette  had  brought  to  and 
presented  to  the  United  States  the  key  to  the 
famous  old  prison  so  it  seemed  almost  as  if 
the  key  had  unlocked  the  doors  of  every  Ameri 
can  heart.  The  French  flag  was  flying  from 
thousands  of  buildings.  The  French  national 
air  was  heard  on  every  side. 

In  America,  too,  just  as  there  had  been  a 
brief  time  before  in  France,  there  were  great 
assemblies  quickly  aroused  to  the  highest  pitch 
of  enthusiasm  by  the  words  of  orators  describ- 

196 


FOURTH  OF  JULY  IN  FRANCE 

ing  the  marvelous  heroism  and  devotion  of 
France  in  the  present  world  war.  As  one 
famous  speaker  said,  "France  had  not  only 
found  her  soul  and  surprised  the  world  by  her 
devotion;  she  had  even  surprised  herself. " 

Perhaps  the  celebration  in  America  reached 
its  highest  pomt  in  a  vast  meeting  in  the 
Madison  Square  Garden  in  New  York  City  on 
the  evening  of  July  14th.  One  newspaper 
glowingly  described  the  vast  concourse  that 
rilled  the  Garden:  "It  isn't  too  much  to  say 
that  perhaps  the  air  quivered  no  more  vio 
lently  around  the  Bastile  on  that  great  day  in 
Paris  129  years  ago,  than  it  did  in  Madison 
Square  Garden  last  night  when  at  the  apex  of 
a  day  of  glorious  tribute  to  France  a  tall  young 
man  wearing  the  horizon  blue  of  the  French 
army  and  noted  throughout  the  world  for  his 
singing,  sang  with  splendid  fervor  France's — 
and  now  in  a  way  our  own — 'La  Marseillaise/ 

The  Garden  fairly  rocked  with  the  applause, 
as  banners  and  flags  were  waved  in  the  hands 
of  the  excited,  shouting  throng.  French  sol 
diers  with  the  little  marks  upon  their  sleeves 

197 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

that  showed  the  bravery  on  the  battlefield  of 
the  men  privileged  to  wear  them,  soldiers  and 
sailors  of  many  lands,  war-nurses  in  their  cool 
white  costumes,  men  who  had  fought  in 
France,  Belgium,  Serbia,  Italy,  at  Gallipoli,  at 
the  Marne  and  at  Verdun — and  many  more 
were  there  to  assist  in  expressing  the  feelings 
of  America  for  her  ally. 

"They  shall  not  pass'7 — it  was  almost  like 
the  determination  of  the  men  that  doggedly 
stood  before  and  blocked  the  Germans  as  they 
did  their  utmost  to  drive  through  Verdun. 

A  message  from  General  Foch  was  read  by 
the  chairman,  Charles  E.  Hughes.  "  After 
four  years  of  struggle  the  plans  of  the  enemy 
for  domination  are  stopped,"  began  Judge 
Hughes,  but  he  also  was  compelled  to  "stop" 
until  the  deafening  applause  that  interrupted 
the  reading  of  the  message  from  the  great 
French  commander  had  quieted  down  suffi 
ciently  to  enable  him  to  proceed.  After  several 
minutes  passed  he  resumed.  "He  (the  enemy) 
sees  the  numbers  of  his  adversaries  increase 
each  day  and  the  young  American  army  bring 

198 


FOURTH  OF  JULY  IN  FRANCE 

into  the  battle  a  valor  and  a  faith  without 
equal ;  is  not  this  a  sure  pledge  of  the  definite 
triumph  of  the  just  cause?" 

If  the  true  answer  to  the  question  of  the 
commander  of  all  the  armies  of  the  allies  was 
to  be  measured  by  the  mighty  roar  that  spon 
taneously  arose,  then  the  General  must  have 
been  convinced  as  well  as  satisfied. 

"We  are  doing  more  to-night  than  paying 
tribute,"  declared  the  chairman.  "We  are 
here  to  make  our  pledge.  We  make  our 
pledge  to  the  people  of  France.  We  make  our 
pledge  and  it  is  the  pledge  of  a  people  able  to 
redeem  it." 

Secretary  of  the  Navy  Daniels  read  a  mes 
sage  from  President  Wilson:  "America  greets 
France  on  this  day  of  stirring  memories,  with 
a  heart  full  of  warm  friendship  and  of  devo 
tion  to  the  great  cause  in  which  the  two  peoples 
are  now  so  happily  united.  July  14th,  like  our 
own  July  4th,  has  taken  on  a  new  significance 
not  only  for  France  but  for  the  world.  As 
France  celebrated  our  Fourth  of  July,  so  do 
we  celebrate  her  Fourteenth,  keenly  conscious 

199 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHINQ 

of  a  comradeship  of  arms  and  of  purpose  of 
which  we  are  deeply  proud. 

"The  sea  seems  very  narrow  to-day,  France 
is  a  neighbor  to  our  hearts.  The  war  is  being 
fought  to  save  ourselves  from  intolerable 
things,  but  it  is  also  being  fought  to  save  man 
kind.  We  extend  our  hands  to  each  other,  to 
the  great  peoples  with  whom  we  are  associated 
and  the  peoples  everywhere  who  love  right  and 
prize  justice  as  a  thing  beyond  price,  and  con 
secrate  ourselves  once  more  to  the  noble  enter 
prise  of  peace  and  justice,  realizing  the  great 
conceptions  that  have  lifted  France  and 
America  high  among  the  free  peoples  of  the 
earth. 

"The  French  flag  floats  to-day  from  the  staff 
of  the  White  House  and  Ajnerica  is  happy  to 
do  honor  to  that  flag." 

A  similar  statement  was  made  by  Great 
Britain's  ambassador,  the  Earl  of  Beading,  who 
declared  that  Bastile  Day  was  also  being  cele 
brated  throughout  the  British  Empire. 

The  climax  came  when  Ambassador  Jusse- 
rand  spoke: 

200 


FOURTH  OF  JULY  IN  FRANCE 

"Your  national  fete  and  ours  have  the  same  mean 
ing:  Emancipation.  The  ideal  they  represent  is  so 
truly  the  same,  that  it  is  no  wonder,  among  the 
inspiring  events  in  which  we  live,  that  France  cele 
brated  the  other  day  your  Fourth  and  you  are  now 
celebrating  our  Fourteenth.  We  owe  so  much  to 
each  other  in  our  progress  toward  Freedom. 

"Those  enthusiastic  French  youths  who  served 
under  Washington,  Rochambeau  and  Lafayette  had 
seen  liberty  and  equality  put  into  practice,  and  had 
brought  back  to  France  the  seed,  which  sown  at  an 
opportune  moment,  sprang  up  and  grew  wonder 
fully. 

"The  two  greatest  events  in  our  histories  are 
closely  connected.  Between  the  end  of  your  revolu 
tion  and  the  beginning  of  ours,  there  elapsed  only  six 
years.  Our  flag,  devised  the  day  after  the  fall  of 
the  Bastile,  combining  the  same  colors  as  your  own, 
is  just  a  little  younger  than  your  Old  Glory,  born 
in  revolutionary  times.  And  the  two,  floating  for 
the  first  time  together  over  the  trenches  of  distant 
France,  defying  the  barbaric  enemy,  have  much  to 
say  to  each  other,  much  about  the  past,  much  about 
the  future. 

"United  as  we  are  with  the  same  firmness  of  pur 
pose,  we  shall  advance  our  standards  and  cause  the 
enemy  to  understand  that  the  best  policy  is  honesty, 
respect  of  others'  freedom  and  respect  of  the  sworn 
pledge. 

"That   song   of   freedom,    the   'Marseillaise' 
201 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

again  be  sung  at  the  place  of  its  birth,  that  Alsatian 
song  born  in  Strassburg,  justifying  its  original  title, 
a  '  War  song  of  the  Rhine. ' 

"The  place  where  he  shall  stop  is  not,  however, 
written  on  the  map,  but  in  our  hearts,  a  kind  of  map 
the  enemy  has  been  unable  to  decipher.  But  what 
is  written  is  plain  enough,  and  President  "Wilson  is 
even  plainer  in  his  memorable  speech  at  the  Tomb 
of  Washington  on  your  own  Fourth.  It  comes  to 
this:  'One  more  Bastile  remains  to  be  taken,  repre 
senting  feudalism,  autocracy,  despotism,  the  German 
one,  and  when  it  falls,  peace  will  reign  again. '  J 

And  over  in  France  was  an  American — 
brave,  kind  of  heart,  dignified  and  tremen 
dously  in  earnest  who  stood  before  the  people 
of  the  old  world  as  the  very  personification  of 
the  spirit  that  animated  the  new  world. 


202 


CHAPTEE  XVI 

INCIDENTS  AND  CHABACTEKISTICS 

ONE  of  the  most  striking  elements  in  the  grip 
which  General  Pershing  has  upon  his  soldiers 
is  well  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  a 
letter  which  a  quiet,  unknown  doughboy  re 
cently  sent  from  France  to  his  mother:  "I  think 
I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  Pershing  looked  us 
over.  He  is  a  wonderful  man  to  look  at. 
Power  is  written  all  over  his  face.  Believe  me, 
with  a  man  like  that  in  the  lead  we  ought  to 
win,  hands  down.  Just  one  look  commands 
respect  and  confidence." 

One  reason  for  this  confidence  doubtless  is 
the  frequently  expressed  opinion  which  the 
commander  also  has  of  his  men.  Again  and 
again  he  has  publicly  declared  that  the  ideal 
ism  of  the  American  soldier  boys  was  bound 
to  win  this  war.  "They  will  defend  these  ideals 

203 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHINa 

at  any  sacrifice. "  And  those  who  are  aware  of 
the  spirit  of  many  a  young  American  student 
in  college  or  worker  on  some  quiet  farm,  will 
understand  why  General  Pershing  has  made  so 
much  of  this  idealism  which  he  says  is  the 
backbone  of  the  American  fighting  men  in 
France. 

It  is  not  only  the  General,  but  the  man  Per 
shing  behind  the  General  that  makes  its  appeal 
and  finds  its  response  from  the  American  boys. 
In  every  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hut  in  France  to-day  there 
is  hanging  a  picture  of  the  leader  of  the  Amer 
ican  armies.  Underneath  this  picture  are  the 
following  words,  which  bear  his  own  signature : 

"  Hardship  will  be  your  lot  but  trust  in  God 
will  give  you  comfort.  Temptation  will  befall 
you  but  the  teaching  of  our  Saviour  will  give 
you  strength.  Let  your  valor  as  a  soldier  and 
your  conduct  as  a  man  be  an  inspiration  to 
your  comrades  and  an  honor  to  your  country/' 

The  meaning  of  these  words  perhaps  becomes 
more  apparent  if  for  a  moment  they  are  placed 
in  contrast  with  the  reported  relations  exist 
ing  between  the  German  soldiers  and  their 

204 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

officers,  sometimes  driven  into  battle  by  brutal 
methods,  threatened,  kicked  and  beaten,  and  if 
they  protested,  sometimes  the  gunners  were 
chained  to  their  guns — small  cause  for  surprise 
is  it  that  the  American  boys  fail  to  appreciate 
the  "  blessings "  of  autocracy  or  are  determined 
that  the  brutality  and  aims  of  all  war  lords 
shall  forever  perish  from  the  earth. 

Then,  too,  his  personal  interest  in  the  young 
American  fighter  who  has  done  something  to 
deserve  recognition  is  one  of  his  elements  of 
strength.  There  must,  however,  first  have  been 
given  an  indication  that  the  deed  was  worthy 
of  praise — for  General  Pershing's  commenda 
tion  is  not  cheap  nor  does  he  scatter  it  promis 
cuously.  The  following  incident  may  be  looked 
upon  as  typical 

John  Kulolski,  born  in  Poland,  emigrant  to 
the  United  States,  enlisted  at  Buffalo,  New- 
York,  June  7,  1916.  In  the  following  year,  on 
hia  birthday,  he  reenlisted  and  on  the  same 
month  and  day  in  1918  he  was  sent  to  the 
trenches.  Indeed,  he  declared  that  his  birthday 
"  always  brought  something  great  into  his 

205 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

life."  His  first  service  in  the  army  was  as  a 
cook,  but  at  his  own  request  he  was  trans 
ferred  to  the  fighting  forces.  Cooking  might 
be  necessary,  but  it  was  "too  slow  for  him." 
Soon  in  the  Bois  de  Belleau  he  found  his  oppor 
tunity.  The  fighting  was  savage  and  John 
Kulolski 's  company  was  in  peril  from  a  nearby 
gunners'  nest.  Suddenly,  without  orders  and 
with  the  new  spirit  of  initiative  which  had 
been  acquired  by  the  young  Pole  in  America, 
he  darted  ahead  alone,  and  by  the  sheer  force 
of  his  own  impetuous  act  charged  the  gun  and 
made  prisoners  of  the  gun  crew  and  its  officer. 
Doubtless  his  very  daring  caused  his  enemies 
to  believe  that  he  was  not  alone  but  was  one 
of  many  who  were  about  to  attack  them.  At 
all  events  the  Germans  surrendered  to  John 
Kulolski  and  his  bravery  was  quickly  known 
all  along  the  line. 

To  him  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  his  daring  deed 
General  Pershing  sent  the  following  telegram 
from  headquarters: 

"For  Private  Kulolski,  Company  (deleted). 

"I  have  just  heard  of  your  splendid  conduct  on 
206 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

June  6th  when  you  alone  charged  a  gun,  captured 
it  and  its  crew,  together  with  an  officer.  I  have 
awarded  you  the  Distinguished  Service  Cross.  I  con 
gratulate  you. 

"PERSHING." 

Who  does  not  know  that  Kulolski's  deed  and 
the  commander's  quick  and  personal  as  well  as 
official  recognition  of  the  heroism  of  this  pri 
vate  soldier  at  once  aroused  a  spirit  of  grati 
tude  and  enthusiasm  not  only  in  the  heart  of 
the  young  Pole,  but  also  caused  a  thrill  in  the 
heart  of  every  doughboy  in  the  ranks  that 
heard  the  story? 

From  Paris,  July  22,  1918,  the  Associated 
Press  sent  the  following  despatch: 

"Your  country  is  proud  of  you,  and  I  am  more 
than  proud  to  command  such  men  as  you.  You  have 
fought  splendidly." 

General  Pershing  thus  addressed  wounded 
American  soldiers  lying  in  the  American  Red 
Cross  hospitals  in  Paris  to-day.  In  each  ward 
of  every  hospital  he  talked  to  the  men.  He  in 
quired  if  they  were  being  well  cared  for,  how 
and  where  they  were  wounded,  what  regiments 

207 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

they  belonged  to,  and  expressed  his  sympathy 
to  scores  of  patients. 

General  Pershing  also  talked  to  the  phy 
sicians,  surgeons,  and  nurses,  and  thanked  them 
for  the  work  they  were  doing  in  caring  for  the 
wounded. 

"No  one  can  ask  of  any  fighting  force  more 
than  that  they  should  do  as  well  as  you  have 
done,"  he  said  to  his  troops.  The  General 
added  that  he  wished  he  could  speak  personally 
with  each  and  every  man  in  the  hospital,  but 
this  was  impossible.  So  he  asked  Major  James 
H.  Perkins  to  repeat  his  message  and  say  to 
each  individual  man,  "The  American  people 
are  proud  of  you." 

It  is  a  very  devoted  and  democratic  army 
which  General  Pershing  commands  in  France. 
Those  who  know  him  personally  have  a  deep 
affection  for  him  for  they  understand  what  he 
is.  Those  who  do  not  have  a  personal  acquaint 
ance  admire  him  no  less  for  what  they  believe 
him  to  be.  It  is  a  common  remark  in  the  ranks, 
even  by  those  who  never  even  saw  their  leader, 
4 '  What  a  fine  man  Pershing  is. ' J  His  nickname 

208 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

"Black  Jack"  is  an  expression  of  admiration 
and  affection,  as  much  so  as  when  the  French 
poilus  tenderly  refer  to  "Papa"  Joffre. 

Whenever  General  Pershing  in  his  scattered 
duties  arrives  at  a  place  where  there  are 
wounded  American  soldiers  he  never  fails  to 
find  a  few  brief  minutes  when  he  can  visit  these 
boys  and  speak  a  word  of  affectionate  appre 
ciation  of  what  they  have  done.  It  is  usually, 
however,  not  to  his  own  but  to  his  country's 
pride  and  sympathy  that  he  refers.  "Your 
country  is  proud  of  you."  Sometimes  it  is  just 
a  handclasp,  sometimes  only  a  glance  from  his 
dark  eyes,  expressive  of  the  deep  interest  and 
pride  in  his  soldier  boys  that  he  can  give  the 
wounded.  He  is  a  man  of  few  words  and  as  a 
consequence  every  spoken  word  counts. 

A  direct  report  states  that  "faces  are 
brighter,  eyea  have  a  new  expression  whenever, 
which  is  as  often  as  the  crush  of  his  duties  per 
mits — he  visits  a  hospital." 

One  further  incident  will  illustrate  the 
many-sided  activities  of  the  American  General. 
One  evening  at  a  certain  nameless  point  he 

209 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

found  that  he  had  a  very  few  minutes  free 
before  his  automobile  was  to  rush  him  to  the 
next  place  he  was  to  visit.  Instantly  he  de 
cided  to  visit  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hut.  As  he  drew 
near  he  found  that  a  couple  of  hundred  boys 
were  in  the  building  and  that  someone  was 
"banging  the  piano"  with  a  furious  rag- time. 
Hobnailed  shoes  were  noisily  keeping  time  to 
the  music  and  the  lusty  voices  of  the  shouting 
and  singing  young  soldiers  were  plainly  heard 
far  beyond  the  building.  Not  one  of  the  boys 
was  aware  that  the  commander  was  anywhere 
in  the  vicinity. 

Suddenly  a  yell  arose  near  the  entrance. 
Instantly  every  soldier  turned  to  discover  the 
cause  of  the  break.  *  *  General  Pershing' '  ran  as 
a  loud  whisper  throughout  the  assembly  and 
instantly  every  one  of  the  assembled  doughboys 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  stood  at  attention.  Then 
no  longer  able  to  repress  or  restrain  their  feel 
ings  they  united  in  such  an  enthusiastic  yell 
as  might  have  revealed  their  presence  to  an 
enemy  if  he  was  not  too  far  away. 

Quickly  the  General  was  in  the  midst  of  the 
210 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

throng  and  was  telling  his  admirers  just  how 
he  had  "  dropped  in  to  see  how  they  were  get 
ting  along."  He  was  delighted,  he  told  them, 
to  find  everything  in  good  order  and  expressed 
his  deep  satisfaction  with  the  manner  in  which 
they  were  doing  their  part  in  the  gigantic 
struggle.  "Your  country  is  proud  of  you." 

Small  cause  for  wonder  is  it  that  it  is  cur 
rently  reported  that  "no  army  ever  went  to  the 
battlefield  better  protected  against  the  pitfalls 
of   army   life    than    the    American    forces   in 
France."    Every  friendly  and  helpful  activity 
receives  his  cordial  support — Eed  Cross,  Y.  M, 
C.  A.,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Salvation  Army 
and  all.    He  is  deeply  concerned  not  only  with 
the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  work  in  France 
but  also  with  the  reports  that  are  to  go  back 
home  concerning  what  the  boys  are  doing  on 
the  far  distant  fields  of  France.    Still  more  is 
he  concerned  about  the  effects  of  their  stay 
upon  the  boys  themselves.     "Everything  pos 
sible  is  being  done  to  see  that  these  young 
Americans   who  will  return  home  some  day 
shall  go  back  clean." 

211 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

He  is  deeply  interested  in  all  the  athletics 
and  sports  of  his  troops.  He  simply  is  in 
sistent  upon  one  main  quality,  "everything 
must  be  clean. " 

A  certain  reporter  for  a  New  York  news 
paper  sends  the  following  incident: 

Passing  a  dark  corner  one  night  I  encountered  a 
M.  P.  (Military  Policeman).  Some  of  the  M.  P.s 
are  a  bit  rough.  They  have  to  be,  and  they  would 
wade  into  a  den  of  wildcats. 

"Hey,  you  pencil  pusher,"  he  called,  "did  you 
see  the  big  boss?" 

I  had. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "you've  flashed  your  lamps  on 
the  finest  man  that  ever  stood  in  shoe  leather." 

One  day  General  Pershing  arrived  at  a  sta 
tion  where  a  motley  crowd  greeted  his  coining. 
The  following  day  there  was  posted  on  a  bulle 
tin  board  of  the  barracks  a  cordial  commenda 
tion  of  the  young  French  officer  who  had  so 
efficiently  done  his  duty  at  the  station  in  hand 
ling  the  somewhat  unruly  assembly  at  the  ar 
rival  of  the  American  commander  and  his  staff. 
That  is  General  Pershing 's  way.  Quietly  cor- 

212 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

dial,  looking  for  good  in  every  one  of  his  men 
and  usually  finding  it,  a  strict  disciplinarian 
and  quick  to  punish  neglect  or  an  evil  deed,  he 
is  the  idol  of  the  army. 

"General  Pershing  is  one  of  the  finest  men 
I  ever  met.  Everybody  in  the  army  admires 
him  greatly,"  declares  a  prominent  American 
officer,  and  another  adds,  "I  have  never  met  a 
nobler  man  in  my  life  than  General  Pershing." 

According  to  a  statement  of  an  orderly  ser 
geant  of  the  commander,  the  General  has  a  reg 
ular  order  for  beginning  the  work  of  every  day. 
Rising  at  five  o'clock  there  is  first  a  half  hour 
of  setting  up  exercises  which  the  two  men  take 
together.  Next  the  General,  although  he  is  at 
an  age  when  most  men  abandon  running  ex 
cept  as  a  necessity  or  a  last  resort,  goes  out  for 
a  run  of  fifteen  minutes.  Later  there  is  a  united 
attack  upon  the  medicine  ball  and  there  is  no 
slight  or  "ladylike"  exercise.  Although  the 
sergeant  is  twenty-five  years  younger  than  the 
General,  he  acknowledges  that  he  is  usually 
the  first  to  declare  that  he  has  had  sufficient 
for  the  beginning  of  the  day. 

213 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

The  hour  of  retirement  is  usually  eleven 
o'clock,  and  just  before  that  time  there  are 
more  setting  up  exercises,  after  which  the  ser 
geant  says  he  himself  is  entirely  reconciled  to 
the  suggestion  to  turn  in. 

In  this  way  and  because  he  has  followed  this 
somewhat  strenuous  plan  since  he  was  a  young 
man  General  Pershing  has  kept  himself  in  mag 
nificent  physical  condition. 

Indeed,  the  sergeant  said  that  in  the  ten 
years  during  which  he  had  been  the  command 
er's  orderly  he  has  never  known  but  one  day 
when  the  General  was  incapicitated  for  his 
duties.  That  day  was  in  the  early  rush  of  the 
punitive  expedition  into  Mexico  to  get  Villa. 
The  change  of  water  or  perhaps  the  quality  of 
it  made  him  ill,  but  even  then,  in  spite  of  the 
surgeon's  advice  for  him  to  remain  quietly  in 
his  tent  for  a  day  or  two,  General  Pershing, 
unmindful  of  the  influence  of  his  example, ' '  dis 
obeyed  orders"  and  resumed  his  work.  For 
tunately  no  ill  effects  followed  his  disobedience. 

A  tender  touch  in  the  sergeant's  statement  is 
one  upon  which  we  have  no  right  to  enlarge 

214 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

though  the  fact  is  as  suggestive  as  it  is  char 
acteristic.     The  first  duty  of  the  orderly  in 
unpacking  the  General's  belongings  when  they 
move  to  new  quarters  is  to  take  the  photograph 
of  Mrs.  Pershing  and  the  four  children  as  the 
family  was  before  that  terrible  fire  in  the  Pre 
sidio,  and  place  it  in  a  desk  or  bureau  where 
it  is  easily  seen.     Often  the  General  sits  in 
silence  before  it,  and  as  he  looks  at  the  family 
group,  the  sergeant  believes  that,  for  the  time, 
the  tragedy  is  forgotten  and  to  the  silent  soldier 
his  family  again  seems  to  be  complete.     It  is 
an  occasion  into  which  an  outsider,  however, 
has  no  right  to  enter  and  however  strong  may 
be  his  sympathy,  the  sorrow  is  too  intensely 
personal  for  even  a  close  friend  to  obtrude. 

In  the  letter  which  General  Pershing  wrote 
from  Mindanao  to  his  classmates  on  the  occa 
sion  of  their  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  their 
graduation  from  West  Point  he  lightly  referred 
to  his  difficulties  in  acquiring  French.  In  view 
of  his  ancestry,  for  his  name  and  lineage  can 
be  traced  back  to  Alsace,  this  at  first  may  ap 
pear  somewhat  strange;  but  the  statement  is 

215 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

his  own.  However,  when  he  first  went  to 
France  his  fluency  in  the  language  of  the  people 
of  that  country  was  not  sufficient  to  satisfy  him 
and  an  interpreter  was  provided,  who  usually 
was  present  when  he  met  with  French  officers 
who  were  as  ignorant  of  his  language  as  he  was 
of  theirs.  In  a  brief  time,  however,  the  inter 
preter  was  discarded.  General  Pershing,  in 
spite  of  the  difficulty  of  acquiring  a  new  lan 
guage  when  one  is  older,  was  soon  conversing 
in  their  own  tongue  with  Marshal  Joffre,  Gen 
eral  Petain  and  General  Foch.  Just  what  the 
opinion  of  his  accent  was  we  do  not  know  and 
they  doubtless  were  too  polite  to  express  it.  The 
essential  point,  however,  is  that  just  as  the 
American  Commander  years  before  had  learned 
the  language  of  the  Moros  in  order  to  assist 
him  in  his  task  of  dealing  with  the  little  brown 
people,  so  he  resolutely  set  to  work  to  learn 
French,  at  least  to  an  extent  that  enabled  him 
to  understand  what  was  said  in  his  presence 
and  to  express  himself  to  his  friends  without 
the  aid  of  an  interpreter. 
Not  long  before  the  raid  upon  Columbus  by 

216 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

Villa  and  his  bandits  General  Pershing,  in  a 
letter  from  which  the  following  extract  is  taken, 
wrote:  "We  do  not  want  war  if  we  can  hon 
estly  avoid  it,  but  we  must  not  hesitate  to  make 
war  if  the  cause  of  civilization  and  progress 
demands    it.      Nearly    every    step    in    human 
progress  has  been  at  the  sacrifice  of  human  life. 
There  are  some  things  dearer  even  than  life. 
If  a  nation  has  set  up  high  ideals  either  for 
itself  or  for  others  it  must  be  prepared  to  en 
force  those  ideals  if  need  be  by  armies  and 
navies.    Of  course  it  would  be  better  to  enforce 
them  through  moral  prestige."     These  senti 
ments  were  expressed  long  before  the  declara 
tion  of  war  with  Germany  or  the  President  had 
written  his  famous  words  about  making  the 
world  safe  for  democracy.     They  are  doubly 
interesting  for  that  reason  and  expressive  of 
General   Pershing 's   innermost   feelings   when 
there  was  every  reason  why  he  should  express 
himself  freely.    Most  brilliant  American  fight 
ers  have  not  been  lovers  of  war  for  its  own  sake. 
Washington  was  reluctant  to  enter  upon  war, 
although  when  he  believed  there  was  no  escape 

217 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

lie  fought  to  the  uttermost  limit  of  his  power. 
General  Grant's  most  frequently  quoted  words 
are  not  warlike,  but  *  'Let  us  have  peace. ' '  And 
General  Pershing  is  not  one  whit  behind  the 
other  two. 

Early  in  July,  1918,  Chairman  Hurley  sent  a 
cablegram  to  the  American  fighting  men  in 
France  that  the  shipbuilders  at  home  would 
launch  one  hundred  merchant  ships  July  4th. 
Promptly  from  General  Pershing  came  the  fol 
lowing  appreciative  and  defiant  acknowledg 
ment:  "The  launching  of  one  hundred  ships  on 
the  Fourth  of  July  is  the  most  inspiring  news 
that  has  come  to  us.  All  ranks  of  the  Army  in 
France  send  their  congratulations  and  heartfelt 
thanks  to  their  patriotic  brothers  in  the  ship 
yards  at  home.  No  more  defiant  answer  could 
be  given  to  the  enemy's  challenge.  With  such 
backing  we  cannot  fail  to  win.  All  hail  Ameri 
can  shipbuilders." 

His  quick  sense  of  appreciation  is  seen  also 
in  the  following  telegram  which  he  sent  Pre 
mier  Clemenceau  after  the  hearty  congratula 
tions  sent  by  the  great  Frenchman  on  the  occa- 

218 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

sion  of  the  parade  of  American  troops  in  Paris 
in  the  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July: 

"Permit  me  to  tell  you  how  much  I  am  touched 
by  the  cordial  telegram  you  sent  me.  I  shall  not 
fail  to  make  it  known  to  the  troops  in  question.  All 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  troops  who  had  the  privi 
lege  of  participating  in  the  Fourth  of  July  ceremony 
in  Paris  will  retain  unforgettable  recollections  of 
the  enthusiastic  reception  accorded  to  them.  Proud 
of  the  confidence  France  places  in  them  they  are 
heartened  more  than  ever  to  do  their  duty  until 
common  victory  comes." 

One  day  in  France  he  saw  two  American 
soldiers  at  work  on  a  woodpile.    One  glance  was 
sufficient  to  show  him  that  the  two  men  were 
working  out  a  form  of  punishment  for  some 
misdeed.     As  we  know  General  Pershing  is  a 
believer  in  strict  and  if  necessary  stern  disci 
pline.     Soon  after  coming  to  France  he  had 
ordered  one  American  soldier  to  be  hanged  for 
a  nameless  crime  and  several  others  to  be  disci 
plined  severely  for  drunkenness.    Believing  in 
the  best  and  hoping  and  expecting  the  good  in 
every  one  of  his  men  to  manifest  itself,  never- 

219 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

theless  he  is  severe  when  severity  is  demanded. 
And  he  was  at  once  interested  when  he  first  saw 
the  two  American  boys  at  the  wood  pile,  mani 
festly  serving  a  sentence  of  some  kind. 

Stopping  his  automobile,  General  Pershing 
sent  his  orderly  to  find  out  what  the  offense  was 
for  which  the  two  soldiers  were  serving  their 
sentence.  Upon  the  orderly's  return  he  re 
ported  that  the  two  men  had  taken  "French 
leave "  of  their  company  several  days  before 
this  time.  They  were  jealous  because  certain 
of  their  fellows  "had  been  sent  up  ahead  to 
fight'7  while  they  had  been  left  behind.  And 
they  were  eager  to  fight.  They  had  enlisted 
and  come  to  France  for  that  express  purpose. 
And  now  to  be  left  behind!  The  thought  was 
more  than  the  two  Yankee  boys  could  endure. 
Fight  they  could  and  fight  they  would — with 
or  without  specific  orders  from  their  officers. 
And  fight  they  did,  for  without  any  ceremony 
they  departed  for  the  front  one  night  and  kept 
on  going  until  they  found  it.  According  to 
their  own  story  they  "found  war  and  mixed 
in."  And  also  they  were  found  out  and  sen- 

220 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

tenced  to  serve  five  days  at  the  woodpile  as  a 
penalty  for  their  disobedience  and  over-hasty 
zeal.  It  is  said  General  Pershing  hastily  de 
parted  from  the  spot  and  that  he  laughed  heart 
ily  at  the  story  of  Americans  who  were  pun 
ished  not  because  they  were  not  willing  to  fight, 
but  were  so  eager  that  they  did  not  wait  for 
such  a  little  thing  as  orders  or  commands.  And 
then  the  General  fell  to  talking  about  his  favor 
ite  theme — the  daring  and  bravery  of  his  men 
in  the  campaign  against  the  Moros. 

One  day  in  Paris,  General  Pershing  saw  a 
tiny  man — a  dwarf — upon  the  sidewalk  of  the 
street  through  which  he  was  passing  at  the 
time.  The  little  man  instantly  recalled  to  the 
commander  the  wedding  of  Datto  Dicky  of  Jolo. 
The  little  chieftain  was  about  to  be  married. 
There  was  a  current  report  that  he  was  the 
smallest  man  in  the  world,  but  the  statement 
has  not  been  verified.  At  all  events,  whatever 
he  may  have  lacked  in  stature  he  more  than 
made  up  in  his  power  over  the  tribe  of  which 
he  was  a  chief. 

At  a  fair  in  Zamboanga,  Datto  Dicky  was 
221 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

about  to  take  unto  himself  a  wife,  the  little  lady 
being  as  diminutive  as  her  prospective  husband. 
After  the  formal  wedding  General  Pershing 
presented  to  the  bride  a  tiny  house  in  every 
way  adapted  to  the  needs  of  such  a  diminutive 
couple.  The  dwelling  stood  on  stilts  on  the 
beach,  a  thing  of  beauty  in  the  eyes  of  all  the 
Moros  that  were  attending  the  fair. 

The  tiny  chieftain  and  his  bride  gratefully 
accepted  the  present  of  the  little  building, 
which  they  occupied  during  their  honeymoon. 
Upon  their  return  to  Jolo  they  in  turn  gave 
their  present  to  the  children  of  the  General  and 
they  used  it  as  a  playhouse.  As  Datto  Dicky 
is  said  to  have  been  just  two  feet  and  three 
inches  in  height  the  little  children  of  the  Ameri 
can  governor  doubtless  found  the  structure 
much  to  their  liking  and  well  adapted  to  their 
needs.  They  were  as  delighted  over  Dicky's 
generosity  to  them  as  the  diminutive  chieftain 
had  been  over  the  unexpected  gift  their  father 
had  given  him. 

The  following  incidents  are  taken  from  the 
New  York  Times: 


INCIDENTS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS 

"  About  ten  years  ago  he  and  Mrs.  Pershing  were 
in  Paris  and  the  General,  who  was  then  a  captain, 
was  suffering  from  a  slight  indisposition,  which  his 
doctor  thought  might  be  attributable  to  smoking. 
Upon  Mrs.  Pershing 's  insistence  the  captain  went  to 
Mannheim  where  there  was  a  famous  cure.  The  resi 
dent  doctor  examined  him  and  advised  that  he  give 
up  smoking.  It  happened  that  Pershing  had  always 
been  an  inveterate  smoker.  His  cigar  was  a  part  of 
his  life.  He  wrestled  with  the  question  a  day  or 
two  and  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  follow  the 
medical  advice. 

"When  asked  if  he  hadn't  found  the  job  a  hard 
one  and  whether  he  wasn't  still  tempted  the  reply 
Was: 

"  'Not  in  the  least,  the  only  hard  thing  was  in 
making  up  his  mind.  He  had  hardly  given  the  mat 
ter  a  thought  since.' 

"There  are  two  subjects  which  the  General  will 
always  talk  about  with  interest — his  farming  expe 
rience  and  his  four  years  with  the  Moros  in  the 
Philippines. 

"He  loves  to  hark  back  to  those  days  when  his 
highest  obligation  was  to  get  out  into  the  cornfield 
at  the  very  earliest  minute  in  the  morning  that  there 
was  daylight  enough  to  see  the  ears  of  corn.  When 
he  was  fourteen  he  took  the  management  of  the  farm. 
His  father  had  been  a  rich  man,  but  the  panic  of 
1873  broke  him.  John  was  the  oldest  of  nine  chil 
dren  and  he  had  to  go  to  the  front.  In  everything 

223 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

that  he  does  now  I  can  detect  the  influence  of  his 
early  training.  I  can  see  in  the  General  of  to-day 
the  farmer  boy  with  his  contempt  of  hardship,  the 
country  school  teacher  with  his  shepherding  instinct 
for  those  around  him  and  the  general  wariness  of 
country  bringing-up.  It  is  inexorably  true  that  the 
boy  is  father  to  the  man." 


CHAPTER  XVII 
WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OF  HIM 

IN  quoting  a  few  words  from  the  opinions 
others  have  expressed  concerning  the  Ameri 
can  Commander  doubtless  some  of  them  may 
seem  to  be  a  trifle  too  laudatory.  It  is  not  to 
be  forgotten  that  the  words  of  those  who  per 
haps  did  not  fully  share  the  sentiments  have 
not  been  recorded.  If  such  opinions  exist, 
their  record  has  not  been  brought  to»the  atten 
tion  of  the  writer.  As  a  rule,  Americans  have 
no  comparative  degree  in  their  estimates  of 
men.  They  like  a  man  or  they  do  not  like  him. 
He  is  either  a  success  or  a  failure,  good  or 
bad,  wise  or  foolish.  Between  the  two  extremes 
there  is  little  standing  room,  and  into  one  cata- 
gory  or  the  other  they  cast  nearly  everyone. 
If  General  Pershing  has  not  escaped  this  con 
dition,  his  consolation  doubtless  is  that  he  is 

225 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

merely  sharing  the  common  lot  of  his  fellow- 
citizens. 

A  close  friend  has  this  to  say  of  him:  "You 
should  meet  him  at  a  dinner  party  and  listen 
to  his  stories.  You  should  stand  with  him  be 
fore  his  tent  in  the  field,  in  the  sunshine — he 
loves  the  sunshine  and  the  wide  out-of-doors — 
and  hear  him  tell  stories  of  his  campaigning 
at  his  best.  You  should  meet  this  big  man  with 
the  heart  of  a  little  child,  this  man  who  by 
befriending  his  enemies  has  made  them  his 
companions,  this  man  who  stands  up  erect  and 
faces  the  horrors  of  disaster  with  a  smile  and 
prays  in  his  heart  for  the  sufferers. " 

Another  friend  says:  " There  is  something 
about  Pershing  that  reminds  one  of  Lincoln. 
It  may  be  his  ready  wit  and  never  failing  good 
humor  or  perhaps  his  big  sympathetic  heart. 
In  the  army  the  similarity  is  frequently  pointed 
out." 

An  officer  who  served  under  him  in  the 
Punitive  Expedition  into  Mexico  and  was 
thrown  into  close  relations  with  him  writes:  "I 
have  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  many  of  our 

226 


WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OF  HIM 

great  men,  but  Pershing  is  the  biggest  of  them 
all.  He  combines  the  rugged  simplicity  of 
Lincoln  with  the  dogged  perseverance  of 
Grant ;  the  strategic  mystical  ability  of  Stone 
wall  Jackson  and  the  debonair  personality  of 
McClellan.  In  one  quality,  that  of  intuition,  he 
may  be  inferior  possibly  to  Roosevelt,  but  in 
cold  logic  and  in  supreme  knowledge  of  human 
nature  and  of  soldier  nature  I  have  never  met 
his  equal. " 

The  colonel  of  his  regiment  when  Pershing 
was  a  lieutenant  in  the  10th  Cavalry  said  of 
him:  "I  have  been  in  many  fights  but  on  my 
word  he  is  the  bravest  and  coolest  man  under 
fire  I  ever  saw." 

In  1903,  Elihu  Boot,  then  Secretary  of  State, 
in  President  McKinley's  cabinet,  cabled  him: 
"The  thanks  of  the  War  Department  for  the 
able  and  effective  accomplishment  of  a  diffi 
cult  and  important  task." 

A  simpler,  but  no  less  effective  estimate  of 
his  character,  although  it  was  given  in  a  way 
to  puzzle  him  and  perhaps  also  was  a  sourer 
of  embarrassment  was  the  act  of  the  Sultan 

227 


THE  STORY  OP  GENERAL  PERSHING 

of  Oato  who  officially  made  young  Major 
Pershing  the  ' '  father ' '  of  his  eighteen-year-old 
boy.  This  was  the  highest  tribute  the  ruler 
of  the  tribe  could  pay,  to  give  his  own  son  to 
the  American  officer.  And  this  was  done,  too, 
when  by  his  training  and  religion  the  Moham 
medan  chieftain  looked  down  upon  even  if  he 
did  not  despise  a  Christian. 

Georges  Clemenceau,  whose  words  have  been 
previously  quoted,  has  this  to  say  concerning 
the  directness  and  simplicity  of  the  American 
General:  " General  Pershing  has  given  us  in 
three  phrases  devoid  of  artificiality,  an  impres 
sion  of  exceptionally  virile  force.  It  was  no 
rhetoric,  but  pure  simplicity  of  the  soldier  who 
is  here  to  act  and  who  fears  to  promise  more 
than  he  will  perform.  No  bad  sign  this,  for 
those  of  us  who  have  grown  weary  of  pompous 
words  when  we  must  pay  dearly  for  each  fail 
ure  of  performance/' 

An  intimate  friend  of  his  boyhood  writes: 
"John  was  and  still  is  intensely  human  and 
that  is  why  we  all  love  him.  His  old  play 
mates  and  friends  are  proud  of  his  success  as 

228 


WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OF  HIM 

a  soldier,  but  they  love  him  because  of  his  high 
standard  of  principles  and  unswerving  in 
tegrity.  John  J.  Pershing  is  revered  by  the 
entire  population  of  Linn  County,  Missouri, 
and  I  hope  in  the  near  future  to  see  a  statue 
of  Pershing  erected  in  the  beautiful  town  park 
of  Laclede,  in  his  honor. " 

A  well-known  college  president  writes  of  him : 
"It  is  his  foresight  as  distinct  from  vision 
which  has  most  impressed  me.  He  sees  what 
ought  to  be  done  and  then  does  it.  His  spirit 
of  determination,  his  persistence,  his  foresight- 
edness,  seem  to  me  the  predominant  traits  in 
a  well-rounded  character.  Strength  rather 
than  brilliancy,  solidity,  reliability,  saneness 
are  other  terms  by  which  the  same  qualities 
might  be  defined. " 

Another  distinguished  president  of  a  college 
in  General  Pershing 's  native  State  makes  the 
following  analysis :  "I  have  been  here  twenty- 
six  years  and  have  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with 
young  men.  I  have  never  seen  a  man  yet  that 
had  these  characteristics  that  failed  in  his  life 
work : 

229 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

"First,  Pershing's  modesty. 

"Second,  His  friendliness — his  ability  to  get 
along  with  his  fellows. 

"Third,  His  industry. 

"Fourth,  What  the  boys  call,  '  everlastingly 
on  the  job' — always  in  his  place,  always  had 
his  lessons,  always  performed  his  duties. 

"Fifth,  His  courage  in  facing  every  obstacle. 

"Sixth,  His  forward  look — his  looking 
ahead. 

"My  secretary  adds  that  I  have  omitted  one 
of  the  strongest  of  General  Pershing's  at 
tributes — his  sense  of  right. " 

It  is  a  great  asset  when  the  people  of  a  man's 
native  town  speak  of  him,  even  of  his  boyhood, 
in  terms  of  affection  and  confidence.  It  is  to 
his  credit  when  school  and  college  mates  write 
of  their  belief  in  his  sterling  character.  It  is 
a  source  of  pride  when  the  early  efforts  of  a 
young  man,  in  the  trying  days  of  his  first 
experiences  in  his  chosen  profession,  find  a 
cordial  response  to  his  efforts  and  it  is  a  still 
deeper  source  of  gratification  when  he  has  done 
his  best  and  has  received  recognition  and  re- 

230 


WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OF  HIM 

ward  from  the  nation  at  large.  And  then  when 
maturer  days  have  came  and  the  glitter  and 
the  glamour  have  lost  much  of  their  appeal,  for 
one  to  find  that  the  great  ones  of  the  earth 
recognize  and  value  more  highly  than  the  doer 
the  deeds  he  has  done — all  this  is  a  heritage 
the  children  and  the  coming  generations  will 
receive  with  grateful  hearts.  All  these  are  a 
part  of  the  possessions  of  General  John  Joseph 
Pershing. 

The  supreme  honor  thus  far  which  General 
Pershing  has  received  is  the  recognition  from 
his  own  country  which  found  its  expression  in 
his  appointment  as  General,  October  6,  1917, 
"with  rank  from  that  date,  during  the  existence 
of  the  present  emergency,  under  the  provisions 
of  an  Act  of  Congress  approved  October  6, 
1917." 

When,  on  October  8,  1917,  he  accepted  this 
appointment  what  thoughts  must  have  been  in 
his  mind.  He  had  then  received  the  highest 
military  honor  the  United  States  of  America 
could  bestow  upon  a  soldier.  He  was  the  suc 
cessor  in  office  of  Washington,  Grant,  Sher- 

231 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

man  and  Sheridan.  What  a  wonderful  list  of 
honored  names  it  is!  And  a  half -century  had 
elapsed  since  anyone  had  received  such  an 
appointment.  The  wildest  dream  of  the  young 
captain  of  cadets  at  West  Point  had  come  true. 
And  he  had  expressed  his  opinion  just  before 
he  went  to  West  Point  that  there  would  be 
slight  opportunity  for  promotion  in  the  per 
manent  peace  which  apparently  had  settled 
over  the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is  a  source 
of  comfort  to  learn  that  even  the  wisest  and 
the  best  of  men  are  sometimes  compelled  to 
revise  their  judgments. 

It  is  not  incredible  that  the  gift  which 
Marshal  Joffre  provided,  or  at  least  one  in 
which  he  was  the  prime  instigator,  the  pres 
entation  of  a  small  gold-mounted  sword  for 
General  Pershing's  little  son,  Warren,  may 
have  touched  the  General's  heart  as  deeply  as 
any  honor  he  ever  received.  A  sword  from 
the  Field  Marshal  of  France,  given  in  the 
greatest  war  ever  fought  by  mankind!  And 
we  may  be  sure  that  however  kindly  the  feel 
ing  of  the  foremost  soldiers  of  France  may 

232 


WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OP  HIM 

have  been  for  little  Warren  Pershing  the  gift 
nevertheless  was  made  to  the  boy  because  he 
is  the  son  of  his  father. 

A  similar  method  of  expressing  the  regard 
for  the  father  by  a  gift  to  his  son  was  followed 
in  an  incident  in  the  celebration  of  Bastile 
Day  in  Paris,  July  14,  1918.  At  the  general 
headquarters  of  the  American  Army  in  France 
the  members  of  the  graduating  class  of  the 
Lycee  presented  to  the  American  Commander 
a  marvelously  bound  volume  of  episodes  in  the 
history  of  France.  This  beautiful  work,  how 
ever,  was  "to  be  transmitted  to  Warren  Per 
shing  from  his  comrades  of  the  Lycee. " 

What  other  people  than  the  French  would 
have  thought  of  such  a  dainty  and  yet  effective 
way  of  expressing  their  admiration  of  a  man? 
Sometimes  a  son  objects  to  being  known  chiefly 
because  he  bears  the  name  of  his  father.  It 
is  seldom,  however,  that  a  man  ever  objects  to 
being  known  as  the  father  of  his  son. 

Just  before  this  volume  was  given  by  the 
students,  General  Pershing  had  presented  their 
diplomas  to  the  members  of  the  graduating 

233 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

class  of  the  Lycee.  This  very  pleasing  duty 
had  followed  after  he  had  formally  received 
the  American  troops  and  the  French  societies 
which  had  marched  through  the  streets  that 
were  gay  with  brilliant  decorations  and 
thronged  by  cheering  thousands. 

On  August  7,  1918,  there  appeared  in  many 
American  newspapers  the  following  brief  and 
simple  message  from  France: 

"With,  the  American  Armies  in  France,  Aug.  6. 

"President  Poincare  personally  decorated  General 
Pershing  with  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor  this  morning  with  impressive  military  cere 
monies  at  American  General  Headquarters." 

This  was  all  that  was  cabled,  but  a  column 
would  not  have  added  to  the  meaning.  As  far 
as  military  recognition  was  concerned  France 
could  do  no  more.  Her  choicest  honor,  the  one 
most  highly  prized  by  her  patriotic  soldiers, 
had  been  bestowed  upon  a  soldier  from  across 
the  sea,  not  only  as  a  token  of  her  esteem  for 
the  man,  but  also  for  the  country  which  had 
chosen  him  to  be  the  leader  of  her  armies. 

234 


WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OF  HIM 

Nor  was  this  the  only  honor  of  its  kind. 
England  already  had  shown  her  appreciation 
by  awarding  him  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Order 
of  the  Bath — an  honor  which  it  is  said  was  then 
bestowed  for  the  first  time  upon  a  soldier  of 
a  foreign  nation,  or  at  least  upon  a  soldier  from 
the  United  States.*  And  other  similar  orders 
and  decorations  were  given  and  by  different  na 
tions.  It  is  difficult  in  democratic  America  to 
appreciate  just  how  much  such  recognition 
means  in  the  lands  in  which  they  were  so  gen 
erously  bestowed.  We  may  be  certain,  how 
ever,  that  these  honors,  which  are  rare,  were 
not  bestowed  thoughtlessly  and  that  General 
Pershing  was  deeply  appreciative  in  each  in 
stance  of  the  motive  and  feeling  that  lay  be 
hind  the  gift. 

Without  question,  the  honor  which  most 
deeply  touches  the  General  is  the  confidence 
and  affection  of  the  men  he  commands.  This 
is  more  and  deeper  than  mere  popularity.  The 
latter  varies  and  shifts  as  a  weathercock  veers 

*  Beyond  the  cabled  report  the  writer  is  unable  to  verify  this 
statement. 

235 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

with  the  changing  winds.  Many  of  the  world's 
great  characters  have  not  only  not  had  it,  but 
have  suffered  martyrdom  because  they  or 
their  teachings  were  unpopular.  But  the  deep 
regard,  the  confidence  and  pride  which  the 
American  forces  universally  manifest  for  their 
leader  are  based  primarily,  not  upon  their  im 
pulses  or  impressions,  but  upon  their  belief  in 
the  qualities  he  has  quietly  manifested,  the 
record  he  has  made,  and  the  power  of  his  own 
personality. 

Deeply  impressed  as  the  American  com 
mander  must  be  by  the  receptions  given  him, 
the  formal  honors  bestowed  upon  him  by  his 
own  and  other  countries,  there  is  still  a  minor 
chord  that  sounds  in  the  chorus  of  acclaim. 
What  would  the  mother,  who  in  the  little  Mis 
souri  village  first  fired  his  boyish  heart  with 
an  earnest  desire  to  make  the  most  of  himself, 
say  now  if  she  was  here  to  treasure  in  her 
heart  the  words  that  have  been  spoken  in 
memory  of  the  deeds  he  has  done?  And  his 
wife — if  she  had  not  perished  in  the  fire  at  the 
Presidio,  and  now  could  follow  his  career  with 

236 


WHAT  OTHERS  THINK  OF  HIM 

the  pride  which  a  good  woman  ever  has  in  the 
recognition  of  her  husband,  what  added 
strength  her  sympathy  and  fellowship  would 
give  to  the  arm  and  heart  of  the  man  whose 
name  and  lot  she  shared.  Sometimes  there  are 
tragedies  for  our  soldiers  greater  even  than 
the  battlefields  provide. 


CHAPTEB  XV111 

As  A  WRITER  AND  SPEAKER 

THE  two  predominant  qualities  that  liave 
marked  General  Pershing  in  other  lines  of 
activity  naturally  appear  in  his  written  and 
spoken  words.  These  are  simplicity  and  force- 
fulness. 

He  writes  but  little  and  then  only  when  he 
has  something  to  say.  What  he  has  to  say  he 
tells  and  then  stops.  His  style  is  lucid  and  in 
teresting;  even  his  early  reports  make  good 
reading. 

Certain  of  his  sayings  have  almost  the  force 
of  proverbs.  For  example,  when  one  has  once 
heard,  "Germany  can  be  beaten;  Germany  must 
be  beaten;  Germany  will  be  beaten,"  he  can 
never  forget  the  terse  epigrammatic  phrasing. 
The  same  thing  is  true  also  of  his  response  to 
the  message  of  the  French  school  children  who 

238 


AS  A  WRITER  AND  SPEAKER 

invaded     his     headquarters,     bringing     their 
Fourth  of  July  greetings: 

To-day  constitutes  a  new  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence,  a  solemn  oath,  that  the  liberty  for  which 
France  has  long  been  fighting  will  be  attained. 

It  is  not  much  when  measured  in  words,  but 
it  is  enough  when  behind  it  is  the  man. 

Similarly  terse  and  appealing  are  his  words 
already  referred  to,  hanging  in  every  Y.  M.  C. 
A.  hut  in  France. 

He  is  not  an  orator  in  the  sense  of  being 
oratorical,  but  he  is  conversational,  direct  and 
impressive  in  public  address.  His  soldierly 
bearing,  his  fine  physique,  clear  voice  and 
strong  face  are  accessories  of  no  small  value. 

There  is  a  field  in  which  General  Pershing 
has  been  a  pronounced  success  as  a  speaker 
which  perhaps  is  not  commonly  known,  and 
that  is  at  dinners  and  similar  public  functions. 
Anyone  who  notes  the  corners  of  Pershing 's 
mouth,  at  once  is  aware  that  the  General  pos 
sesses  a  keen  sense  of  humor.  No  better  illus 
tration  could  be  given  of  this  fact  than  an  inci- 

239 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

dent  not  long  ago  recorded  in  the  Missouri  His 
torical  Review: 

"He  was  invited  to  a  stag  dinner  party  one  even 
ing  where  a  jolly  story-telling  lot  of  good  fellows 
were  to  be  present  and  he  went  primed  with  his  best 
stories,  a  memorandum  in  his  vest  pocket  to  aid  him 
in  telling  them.  The  memorandum  was  accidentally 
dropped  on  the  floor  and  was  picked  up  by  one  of 
his  friends,  who  immediately  saw  what  it  was  and 
decided  to  have  his  little  joke  at  the  General's  ex 
pense.  The  finder  got  an  opportunity  to  spring  the 
first  story  and  promptly  started  off  with  the  first 
one  on  the  list.  Pershing  said  nothing  and  laughed 
— he  always  does  when  a  good  story  is  told,  and 
makes  you  laugh,  too — but  when  the  second  one  on 
his  list  was  told  he  felt  in  his  pocket  for  the  memo 
randum  and  discovered  its  loss.  A  few  minutes  later 
the  General,  after  a  consultation  with  a  waiter,  an 
nounced  that  he  had  just  received  a  message  which 
would  require  his  absence  for  a  few  minutes  on  im 
portant  business. 

"Jumping  into  a  car  he  was  hurried  to  a  hotel. 
From  the  clerk  he  secured  the  names  of  half  a  dozen 
traveling  men — drummers — who  were  stopping  there 
and  announced  that  he  wanted  to  see  these  men  at 
once  on  important  business.  The  drummers  re 
sponded  and  in  twenty  minutes  the  General  was  back 
at  the  banquet,  before  the  coffee  had  been  poured, 
with  a  new  stock  of  yarns.  Then  ensued  a  battle 

240 


AS  A  WRITER  AND  SPEAKER 

royal  between  the  two  famous  raconteurs,  much  to 
the  amusements  of  the  guests,  until  his  friend  played 
out  the  string  and  left  the  General  victor  in  the 
humorous  contest. 

"Just  at  this  juncture  one  of  the  drummers,  made 
up  as  a  police  officer,  arrived,  arrested  the  joker, 
searched  him  and  found  the  General's  memorandum, 
which  he  exposed  to  the  hilarious  guests  with  the 
significant  comment:  'General  Pershing  has  really 
been  the  only  entertainer  this  evening,  but  lots  of 
people  are  making  reputations  with  the  public  on  the 
General's  ideas.'  ' 

His  words  to  the  British  public  and  his  pub 
lic  address  in  France  are  alike  notable  for  their 
simplicity  and  directness,  their  friendliness  and 
dignity.  He  understands  thoroughly  his  part. 
It  is  a  great  advantage  for  America  to  have  a 
representative  for  whose  public  utterances  no 
apology  must  be  made  and  no  explanations 
given. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENERAL 

IT  would  be  as  impertinent  as  it  is  impossible 
for  one  who  has  not  been  associated  with  Gen 
eral  Pershing  for  a  long  time  directly  and 
closely  to  attempt  anything  like  an  analysis  of 
the  man  or  his  career.  There  are,  nevertheless, 
certain  qualities  that  have  become  more  or  less 
the  possessions  of  the  public  because  they  have 
been  manifested  in  his  public  service.  It  is 
therefore  permissible  to  refer  briefly  to  certain 
of  them. 

As  a  foundation  for  all  his  work  is  a  strong, 
vigorous  body  which  at  all  times  has  been 
cared  for  in  a  way  to  make  it  the  servant  and 
not  the  master  of  the  man.  Regular  and  some 
what  strenuous  physical  exercise  maintains  the 
uniformly  excellent  health  and  vigor  of  the 
Commander.  Naturally  strong,  hard  work  de 
veloped  his  strength  in  his  boyhood,  and  hia 

242 


THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENERAL 

military  career  has  made  many  demands  upon 
as  well  as  increased  these  powers.  Even  when 
he  entered  West  Point  he  was  an  acknowledged 
expert  in  horsemanship  and  his  early  work  in 
the  ten  years  of  his  campaigns  against  the 
Indians,  certainly  tested  his  skill  to  the  utmost 
in  this  particular  line. 

He  has  known  almost  every  form  of  active 
service  the  American  Army  can  provide.  In  the 
demands  for  rough  or  heavy  work  excellent 
judges  asserted  when  he  was  sent  to  France 
that  he  has  no  superior  and  since  his  arrival 
he  has  shown  that  he  was  equally  at  home  in 
the  finer  and  higher  demands  that  were  made 
upon  him.  His  distinguished  bearing,  his 
physical  vigor  and  good  health  have  provided 
an  excellent  foundation.  The  old  Latin  proverb 
Mens  sana  in  corpore  sano  has  certainly  been 
verified  in  the  life  of  General  Pershing. 

It  was  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  who  has  been 
frequently  quoted  as  having  said  that  "the 
foremost  qualification  for  success  is  the  proper 
selection  of  one's  grandparents."  The  force- 
fulness  of  General  Pershing  ?s  father,  the  inspir- 

243 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHINQ 

ing  words  of  his  mother  form  a  rare  back 
ground.  " Foremost  citizen, "  "devoted  to  his 
family,"  " sterling, "  " ambitious " — these  are 
some  of  the  words  of  old-time  friends  and 
neighbors,  descriptive  and  expressive  of  their 
estimates  of  his  father.  All  of  them,  however, 
are  not  more  suggestive  and  tender  than  a 
neighbor's  description  of  the  General's  mother 
as  a  "splendid  homemaker,"  and  "an  inspira 
tion  to  her  children."  There  are  many  things 
a  son  cherishes  more  highly  than  the  inherit 
ance  of  great  riches,  and  foremost  is  the  herit 
age  of  a  good  name. 

As  the  oldest  of  nine  children  naturally  he 
learned  and  assumed  certain  responsibilities  at 
an  early  age.  With  the  advice  and  help  of  his 
mother  it  is  said  that  even  when  he  was  only 
fourteen  he  was  managing  a  farm  in  the  absence 
of  his  father.  There  was  work  to  be  done  and 
in  abundance.  There  is  ancient  authority  for 
the  claim  that  it  is  good  to  "learn  to  bear  the 
yoke  in  one's  youth."  A  "yoke,"  however,  is 
not  the  burden,  it  is  a  contrivance  which  enables 
one  to  bear  his  burden. 

244 


THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENEEAL 

A  prominent  and  successful  man  of  business 
in  New  York  City  declared  not  long  ago  that  if 
a  man  does  not  learn  to  work  when  he  is  young 
(this  man  placed  the  limit  at  twenty-two)  he 
does  not  learn  afterward.  This  was  the  result 
of  both  observation  and  experience. 

Whether  or  not  these  conclusions  are  correct, 
certain  it  is  that  in  the  case  of  General  Per- 
shing,  as  it  has  been  also  in  many  other  marked 
instances,  he  learned  not  only  to  work  but  also 
learned  how  to  work  when  he  was  only  a  boy. 

His  birthplace  was  in  the  great  state  of  Mis 
souri.  Eeference  has  already  been  made  to  the 
semi-slang  expression  which  indicates  that  a 
man  from  that  State  "must  be  shown."  Not 
long  ago  there  appeared  in  one  of  the  foremost 
newspapers  of  America  a  bit  of  verse  apply 
ing  this  saying  to  the  present  gigantic  task  of 
the  Commander  of  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  in  France.  The  following  quotation 
(The  Evening  Telegram),  whatever  it  may  lack 
in  poetic  flavor,  is  expressive  of  the  public  con 
ception  of  the  meaning  of  the  statement: 

245 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

"When  'Jack'  Pershing  left  for  Europe 

With  his  sturdy  fighting  men, 
Kaiser  Willy  said,  'How  silly! 

I'll  annihilate  them  when 
I  have  time  to  bother  with  'em, 

For  that  peewee  Yankee  force 
Won't  be  in  it  for  a  minute 

With  my  Prussian  troops,  of  course/  " 

"Is  that  so?    Well,  Kaiser  Willy 

You  have  made  a  foolish  bet, 
You  have  boasted,  then  you've  roasted, 

But  you  haven't  whipped  'em  yet. 
Let  this,  Kaiser,  make  you  wiser, 

If  you  really  care  to  know, 
Jack  was  born  in  old  Missouri, 

He's  a  man  you'll  'have  to  show.'  " 

"Pershing,  Pershing,  'Black  Jack'  Pershing, 

We  are  with  you,  one  and  all, 
We  will  ever  pull  the  lever 

That  will  make  the  Prussians  fall. 
Fighting  Pershing, — yes,  we  know  you, 

Old  Missouri  born  and  bred, 
Here's  our  motto,  we  will  show  you, 
1  All  together !    Forge  ahead ! '  ' ' 

i 

His  determination  is  one  of  his  fundamental 
qualities.    It  is  seen  in  the  very  expression  of 

246 


THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENERAL 

his  face,  emphasized  by  the  prominent  nose  and 
jaw.  Although  it  was  doubtless  a  heritage, 
nevertheless  the  trying  experiences  of  his  early 
days  intensified  and  aided  in  developing  the 
quality. 

He  knew  the  meaning  of  hard  work  when  he 
was  a  boy,  as  has  been  said,  but  it  did  not  shake 
his  ultimate  purpose.  He  was  eager  to  obtain 
an  education  and  with  this  determination  once 
fixed  in  his  mind  he  never  relaxed.  Working, 
teaching,  saving,  when  he  entered  the  Kirks- 
ville  Normal  School  he  understood  something 
of  the  price  he  was  paying  for  the  advantages 
he  received.  He  knew  what  the  attendance  had 
cost  him  and  it  is  easily  understood  why  he  was 
determined  to  get  the  worth  of  his  money. 

At  West  Point  this  same  element  was  still 
prominent.  It  impressed  his  classmates  and 
teachers.  He  saw  what  he  wanted  and  wasted 
no  time  or  effort  on  "asides"  that  might  inter 
fere.  To  be  senior  captain  of  cadets  was  to 
him  the  supreme  honor — therefore  it  w^as  only 
natural  that  he  won  the  appointment. 

The  same  spirit  carried  him  through  his  cam- 

247 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

paign  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  The  Moros 
could  be  brought  to  reason,  therefore  the  Moros 
were  brought  to  reason.  It  animates  him  in 
France — '  *  Germany  can  be  beaten, "  i  l  Germany 
must  be  beaten, ' '  and  the  third  clause  is  as  natu 
ral  as  the  words  of  the  General  can  make  them 
— "Germany  will  be  beaten."  It  is  fitting  that 
the  commander  of  the  best  trained  army 
America  ever  had  should  lead  it  in  a  spirit  of 
determination  that  cannot  be  shaken. 

Underneath  this  firmness  is  an  unfailing 
spirit  of  fairness.  After  seven  years  of  hard 
work  he  established  in  the  Philippines  a  new 
record  in  diplomacy  by  winning  the  complete 
confidence  of  the  natives.  Said  one  man,  "In 
all  the  Philippines  there  is  no  one  so  beloved 
for  his  gentle  yet  unrelenting  manner,  his  ab 
solute  fairness  and  justice,  as  this  soldier  who 
had  the  unusual  power  of  instilling  love  for 
himself  and  fear  for  his  enmity  at  the  same 
time." 

In  his  boyhood  his  close  friends  report  that 
this  same  quality  often  made  him  the  protector 
of  the  younger  boys  when  they  were  the  victims 

248 


THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENERAL 

of  the  school  bully.  "As  a  young  fellow," 
states  one  of  his  early  friends,  "he  was  accom 
modating  and  never  pushed  himself  forward. 
He  was  always  ready  to  help  other  fellows  who 
were  not  able  to  work  out  their  problems.  As 
a  boy  his  decisions  were  always  quick  and  accu 
rate." 

Of  course  the  spirit  of  fairness  implies  the 
possession  of  a  kindly  nature  as  well  as  imagi 
nation.  One  cannot  be  fair  or  just  to  his  enemies 
unless  he  can  first  get  their  points  of  view. 
This  was  the  underlying  quality  in  the  work 
Lincoln  did.  He  saw  what  his  opponents  saw 
but  he  also  saw  more.  It  is  the  quality  which 
makes  of  a  man  or  a  boy  "a  good  sport."  He 
appreciates  his  antagonist  and  also — in  the  end 
— is  appreciated  by  his  antagonist. 

A  writer  in  the  Missouri  Historical  Review, 
whose  words  have  before  been  quoted,  pays  the 
following  tribute  to  this  quality  in  General 
Pershing: 

With  his  scholarly  attainments,  his  ability  as  a 
writer  and  speaker  and  his  grasp  of  big  problems, 
Pershing  might  have  developed  into  a  statesman;  he 

249 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

certainly  would  have  succeeded  as  a  business  man 
if  he  could  have  contented  himself  with  the  hum 
drum  life  in  a  downtown  office;  and  with  his  at 
tractive  personality  he  might  indeed  have  led  a 
successful  career  as  a  politician,  except  for  his  un 
fortunate  modesty  which  even  in  the  army  has  fre 
quently  delayed  for  him  a  merited  promotion.  As 
a  soldier,  Pershing's  methods  are  those  of  clemency 
rather  than  ruthlessness  and  he  makes  personal 
friends  even  of  his  enemies. 

Writing  as  lie  did  before  the  declaration  of 
war  with  Germany  he  adds: 

Since  the  death  of  General  Funston  he  has  been 
in  command  of  the  Department  of  the  South,  one 
of  the  important  military  posts  of  the  country  at 
the  present  time.  With  this  country  an  active  par 
ticipant  in  the  War  of  the  Nations  and  the  prob 
ability  that  a  strong  expeditionary  force  will  be  sent 
to  cooperate  with  the  Allies  in  France,  what  is  more 
probable  or  desirable  than  that  General  Pershing 
should  command  it?  He  has  participated  in  every 
war  in  which  this  country  has  been  engaged  for 
thirty  years  and  in  every  campaign  has  added  luster 
to  his  own  name  and  distinction  to  American  armies. 

One  has  to  read  no  more  than  the  painstak 
ing  reports  which  he  sent  from  the  Philippines 

250 


THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENERAL 

to  the  Adjutant  General  or  to  the  Headquarters 
Department  of  Mindanao  and  Jolo  to  compre 
hend  the  mastery  of  details  which  has  been  a 
striking  characteristic  of  General  Pershing. 
From  his  recommendations  concerning  military 
posts  and  the  disposition  of  the  troops  in  the 
province  he  turns  to  deal  specifically  with  de 
tailed  suggestions  about  cold  storage  plants 
and  to  present  carefully  prepared  suggestions 
to  aid  the  quartermaster  from  whom  "too  much 
is  expected."  It  is  easy  for  one  to  tell  what 
ought  to  be  done.  The  world  has  never  lacked, 
nor  does  it  lack  now,  multitudes  of  men  who 
fancy  they  are  competent  to  do  that.  But  to 
find  one  who  is  able  to  tell  how  to  do  it — he 
is  the  individual  for  whom  the  world  ever  has 
a  warm  welcome.  Many  are  officious,  but  only 
a  few  are  competent  or  efficient. 

Nor  is  this  quality  of  mind  and  heart  limited 
to  details  of  administration  alone.  It  applies 
also  to  his  knowledge  of  men.  The  incident  of 
the  telegram  to  the  former  cook,  John  Kulolski, 
related  in  Chapter  XVI,  is  illustrative.  Most 
men  find  that  for  which  they  are  looking.  If 

251 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

they  expect  to  find  evil  they  seldom  are  dis 
appointed.  If  their  objective  is  the  thing  worth 
while,  that  too  they  find.  To  know  men  as  well 
as  maps,  to  study  soldiers  as  well  as  supplies, 
to  grasp  the  varying  and  differing  elements 
that  compose  an  army — these  are  the  essential 
elements  in  a  successful  leader  of  men.  To  the 
German  war  lords  their  men  may  be  merely 
" cannon  fodder."  To  the  public  a  French  sol 
dier  may  be  a  poilu,  a  British  fighter  a  Tommy, 
an  American  a  doughboy.  To  General  Pershing 
every  one  that  carries  a  gun  is  above  all  else 
a  man.  This  is  at  once  the  basis  of  his  confi 
dence  in  and  appeal  to  his  followers.  It  may 
be  because  of  this  trait  that  Rowland  Thomas 
and  others  have  described  General  Pershing  as 
"the  most  brilliant  and  most  dependable  gen 
eral  officer  in  our  army." 

Like  many  men  who  are  large,  physically  as  j 
well  as  mentally,  he  has  almost  infinite  pa 
tience.  This  quality  too  is  so  closely  linked  to 
self-control  that  at  times  it  is  difficult  to  dis 
tinguish  between  them.  Confidence  and  self- 
possession  are  the  foundation  stones  upon 

252 


THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENERAL 

which  patience  rests.  It  is  the  man  sure  neither 
of  himself  nor  of  the  goal  he  seeks  nor  of  the 
cause  for  which  he  fights  who  becomes  impa 
tient.  Was  promotion  delayed?  Then  he  must 
wait  with  patience,  first  making  himself  fit  to 
be  promoted  or  doing  his  work  in  a  manner 
that  would  compel  recognition.  Had  the  Moros 
for  three  centuries  successfully  resisted  every 
attempt  to  subjugate  them?  Then  his  cam 
paign  must  be  so  conducted  that  the  little 
brown  people  must  be  made  to  see  that  the 
United  States  was  seeking  to  help  as  well  as  to 
subdue.  Had  Germany  for  more  than  forty 
years  been  preparing  armies  to  overthrow  civil 
ization  and  dominate  the  world?  Then,  " Ger 
many  can  be  beaten,  Germany  must  be  beaten, 
Germany  will  be  beaten, "  is  the  quiet  state 
ment  of  the  American  Commander,  because, 
having  confidence  in  the  cause  for  which  he  is 
fighting  and  faith  in  his  fighters,  he  can  be 
patient.  With  the  end  in  view,  there  must  be 
no  hasty  or  impatient  activity  which  might 
lead  to  disaster. 

One  distinguished  writer  on  military  topics 

253 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

has  called  Mm  the  American  Kitchener,  be 
cause  of  his  ability  as  an  organizer.  Points  of 
resemblance  there  may  be  and  doubtless  are, 
and  these  are  not  limited  to  any  one  man, 
British  or  American,  but  the  people  of  the 
United  States  are  well  content  to  take  him  as 
he  is.  If  comparisons  are  to  be  made  then  the 
resemblance  should  be  based  upon  the  fact  that 
the  party  to  which  reference  is  made  is  "like 
Pershing,"  not  because  General  Pershing  is 
like  another. 

It  is  a  marvelous  time  in  the  history  of  the 
World  and  the  times  require  men  equal  to  the 
demand.  Nearly  four  years  of  the  war  passed 
and  up  to  that  time  the  hearts  of  many  were 
heavy  because  no  one  outstanding  figure  had 
appeared.  The  unspoken  call  was  for  a  leader. 
Great  men,  good  men  and  many  of  them  were 
in  evidence,  but  the  Napoleonic  leader  had  not 
appeared. 

Then  upon  the  insistence  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States  a  supreme  commander,  one 
brain,  one  heart,  one  sole  power  to  direct,  was 
found  and  the  Allies  were  no  longer  separate 

254 


2 

0> 

a 
53 

o 


1 


THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE  GENERAL 

units,  each  free  to  come  or  go,  without  adhe 
sion  or  cohesion.  There  was  now  to  be  one  plan 
and  one  planner.  The  world  already  is  aware 
of  the  result,  for  Foch  has  been  tried  and  tested. 
The  great  unifying  power  has  been  discovered. 
The  man  for  whom  the  world  had  been  waiting 
had  appeared  and  taken  charge.  Whether 
times  make  men  or  men  make  the  times  is  a 
riddle  as  old  as  the  one  concerning  the  egg  and 
the  hen  as  to  which  was  first  produced.  With 
out  question  both  are  true. 

But  no  military  genius  can  win  battles,  much 
less  win  a  war,  unless  he  is  supported  by  strong 
men  and  true.  And  in  the  number  of  those  who 
are  closest  to  Foch  is  the  Commander  of  the 
American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  France.  All 
are  rejoiced  that  he  is  where  he  is,  but  they  are 
equally  proud  that  he  is  what  he  is. 

It  is  easy  to  paraphrase  the  words  of  the  great 
Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  and  to  say  of  General 
John  Joseph  Pershing  that  he  too  "is  a  citizen 
of  no  mean  country."  It  is  also  easy  to  say 
that  he  is  no  mean  citizen  of  that  country,  for 
be  is  both  the  citizen  and  the  general,  the  man 

255 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

I 

as  well  as  the  soldier.  And  there  is  the  strong 
est  possible  desire  on  the  part  of  his  country 
men,  that,  upheld  by  his  armies  and  helped  by 
everyone  in  his  native  land,  he  may  speedily 
add  new  luster  to  his  name  and  to  that  of  his 
own  land  until  the  words  of  the  greatest  orator 
of  the  new  world  may  have  an  added  signifi 
cance  and  a  deeper  meaning — "I — I  also — am 
an  American! " 


CHAPTER  XX 
His  MILITAKY  RECORD 

THE  complete  Military  Record  of  General 
Pershing  as  it  has  been  kept  by  the  War  De 
partment  of  the  United  States  is  here  pre 
sented.  To  the  facts  obtained  from  this  De 
partment  are  added  a  few  later  items,  which 
the  Acting  Adjutant  General  kindly  has  pro 
vided. 

JOHN  J.  PERSHING 

BORN    SEPTEMBER    13,    1860    IN    AND    APPOINTED    FROM 
MISSOURI. 

Cadet  Military  Academy July     1,  1882 

2nd  Lt.  6th  Cavalry July     1,  1886 

1st  Lt.  10th  Cavalry Oct.     20,  1892 

Captain,  1st  Cavalry Feb.      2,  1901 

Trs.  to  15th  Cavalry Aug.   20,  1902 

Brigadier   General Sept.  20,  190'5 

Accepted Sept.  20,  1906 

Major    General i Sept.  25,  1916 

General Oct.      6,  1917 

257 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PEKSHING 

VOLUNTEER  SERVICE 

Maj.  Chief  Ord.  Officer Aug.  18,  1898 

Honorably  discharged May  12,  1899 

Maj.  A.  A.  G June  6,  1899 

Honorably  discharged June  30,  1901 

SERVICE 

Served  with  regiment  on  the  frontier  from  Sep. 
tember,  1886  to  1891 ;  Professor  of  Military  Science 
and  Tactics  at  University  of  Nebraska,  September, 
1891  to  October,  1895;  was  Instructor  of  Tactics  at 
the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  June, 
1897  to  May,  1898;  served  throughout  the  Santiago 
Campaign  in  Cuba,  June  to  August,  1898 ;  on  duty 
in  War  Department,  August,  1898  to  September, 
1899,  when  he  left  for  Philippine  Islands;  served 
in  Philippine  Islands  until  1903;  member  General 
Staff  Corps  1903  to  1906;  and  also  Military  Attache 
at  Tokio,  Japan ;  served  again  in  Philippine  Islands 
from  1906  to  1914;  commanded  Punitive  Expedition 
in  Mexico  from  March,  1916  to  February,  1917; 
commanded  Southern  Department  to  May,  1917,  and 
United  States  Forces  in  France  since  that  date. 

BATTLES  AND  CAMPAIGNS 

Sioux  Indian  Campaign,  South  Dakota,  Septem 
ber,  1890  to  January,  1891;  action  near  mouth  of 
Little  Grass  Creek,  South  Dakota,  January  1,  1891; 

258 


HIS  MILITARY  RECORD 

Las  Quasimas,  Cuba,  June  24,  1898 ;  San  Juan,  Cuba, 
July  1,  1898,  and  was  recommended  by  his  regi 
mental  commander  for  brevet  commission  for  per 
sonal  gallantry,  untiring  energy  and  faithfulness; 
and  by  the  brevet  board  convened  that  year  for  the 
brevet  of  Captain  for  gallantry  at  Santiago  de  Cuba, 
July  1,  1898;  in  the  field  in  Philippine  Islands, 
November,  1900  to  March,  1901,  against  General 
Capistrano,  commander  of  insurrectionary  forces;  in 
command  of  an  expedition  against  the  hostile  Moros 
of  Maciu,  starting  from  Camp  Vicars,  Mindanao, 
September  18,  1902;  action  at  Gauan,  September 
18,  and  Bayabao,  September  19,  1902 ;  captured  Fort 
Moro,  September  29,  1902,  driving  the  Moros  from 
Maciu  Peninsula  on  that  date.  He  attacked  the 
Moros  at  Maciu  September  30,  1902,  capturing  their 
two  forts,  and  returned  to  Camp  Vicars,  October  3, 
1902;  was  in  action  at  Bacolod,  April  6  to  8,  1903: 
Calahui,  April  9,  1903,  and  Taraca  River,  May  4, 
1903.  He  commanded  the  first  military  force  that 
ever  encircled  Lake  Lanao ;  Punitive  Expedition  in 
Mexico,  1916  and  1917;  and  since  June,  1917,  com 
manding  the  Expeditionary  Force  in  France. 

An  additional  statement  by  the  War  Depart 
ment: 

John  J.  Pershing  was  appointed  a  Major  General 
in  the  Regular  Army,  during  a  recess  of  the  Senate, 
on  September  25,  1916,  with  rank  from  that  date. 

259 


THE  STORY  OF  GENERAL  PERSHING 

His  name  was  submitted  to  the  Senate  on  December 
15,  1916,  for  the  permanent  form  of  commission,  in 
confirmation  of  his  recess  appointment,  and  the 
nomination  was  confirmed  on  December  16,  1916,  the 
permanent  commission  being  signed  on  December  20, 
1916.  He  accepted  his  appointment  as  Major  Gen 
eral  on  September  30,  1916. 

He  was  appointed  General  on  October  6,  1917,  with 
rank  from  that  date,  for  the  period  of  the  existing 
emergency,  under  the  provisions  of  an  Act  of  Con 
gress  approved  October  6,  1917.  He  accepted  this 
appointment  on  October  8,  1917. 

Gen.  Pershing  sailed  for  Europe  on  May  28,  1917. 
Prior  to  that  date  a  total  of  211  officers  and  919 
enlisted  men  had  embarked  from  the  United  States 
for  Europe. 


(3) 


260 


OVERDUE. 

JUL    7  1931 


FtEO    ' 


H£  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


CQ3flSS35b3 


441073 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


